Control of fibrosis and hypertrophic scar formation via glycolysis regulation with IR780

Hypertrophic scars (HS) represent one of the most common clinical challenges due to unsatisfactory therapeutic

This work identified a strategy for controlling fibrosis and HS formation from the perspective of glycolysis regulation with IR780 targeting of activated fibroblasts.

Here, augmented glycolysis was confirmed together with enhanced fibrotic activity in both HS fibroblasts (HFs) and HS tissues, and the suppression of glycolysis also attenuated fibroblast activation. We also introduced IR780, a heptamethine cyanine dye, to regulate glycolysis for the control of HS formation.

In vitro, cell studies indicated that IR780 significantly down-regulated glycolysis and suppressed the fibrotic activity of HFs. In vivo, the intralesional injection of IR780 into rabbit HS models led to the downregulation of glycolysis and the control of HS formation. Furthermore, IR780 accumulated preferentially in activated fibroblasts in both in vitro and in vivo studies, and thus specifically downregulated glycolysis and efficiently controlled fibrosis by targeting activated fibroblasts. Conclusions: This work identified a strategy for controlling fibrosis and HS formation from the perspective of glycolysis regulation with IR780 targeting of activated fibroblasts.