Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To explore the change of energy metabolism in wound tissue of diabetic rats. METHODS: This study was an experimental study. Six 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into diabetic group inflicted with a diabetic full-thickness skin defect wound and control group only inflicted with a full-thickness skin defect wound according to the random number table method, with 3 rats in each group. The wound healing rates of rats in the two groups were calculated at 14 d after operation. The wound tissue of two groups of rats was collected at 14 d after operation, the targeted energy metabolomics detection was carried out by chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, and the differential energy metabolites in the wound tissue were screened with significant change in the expression between the two groups of rats. The Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analysis was performed on the differential energy metabolites. RESULTS: At 14 d after operation, the wound healing rate of rats in diabetic group was (68.3±2.8)%, which was significantly lower than (98.1±1.2)% in control group (t=16.92, P < 0.05). At 14 d after operation, compared with those in control group, the expressions of cis-aconitic acid, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, and 5'-guanosine diphosphate were significantly increased in wound tissue of rats in diabetic group (with t values of 4.74, 3.09, and 3.99, respectively, P < 0.05), the expressions of L-malic acid and lactic acid were significantly decreased (with t values of 3.45 and 12.20, respectively, P < 0.05), and there were no statistically significant differences in the expression levels of the other 21 energy metabolites in wound tissue of rats in the two groups (P > 0.05). The five differential energy metabolites were enriched mainly in the glucagon, Rap1, Ras, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 signaling pathways as well as the tricarboxylic acid cycle, pyruvate metabolism, mitochondrial autophagy, and endocytosis pathways. CONCLUSIONS: The expressions of lactic acid and L-malic acid in wound tissue of diabetic rats decreased, while the expressions of cis-aconitic acid, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, and 5'-guanosine diphosphate increased. The differential energy metabolites were mainly enriched in oxidative stress, energy regulation, inflammatory reaction, and other related signaling pathways or pathways.