Title:A Lower IL-34 Expression Is Associated with Non-Healing Diabetic Foot
Ulcers
Volume: 27
Issue: 10
Author(s): Aitian Zheng, Yuanyuan Xu, Nimiao Cen and Biaoliang Wu*
Affiliation:
- Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511486, China
- Department of Endocrinology, Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, 533000, China
Keywords:
Fibroblasts, diabetic foot ulcer, healing, interleukin-34, gene expression omnibus database.
Abstract:
Background: The non-healing of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) is a major cause of high
disability, morbidity, and mortality. Thus, new therapeutic targets and methods to help healing
in patients with DFUs are major research hotspots.
Objective: This study examined the molecular differences between healing and non-healing
DFUs to identify genes associated with DFU healing.
Methods: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by bioinformatics. Samples
were collected from patients with healing (n=10) and non-healing (n=10) DFUs from September
2021 to September 2022. Interleukin (IL)-34 expression was measured by ELISA and qRT-PCT.
The fibroblasts from healing and non-healing DFU were divided according to their gene signatures
and subdivided based on their gene expression profile differences.
Results: A comparison of fibroblast subpopulation characteristics revealed that the proportion of
subpopulation 4 was significantly higher in non-healing DFUs than in healing DFUs. Subpopulation
4 had 254 upregulated genes and 2402 downregulated genes in the non-healing compared
with the healing DFUs. The DEGs were involved in several biological functions, including cytokine
activity, receptor-ligand activity, signaling receptor activator activity, and receptor regulator
activity. IL-34 was downregulated in non-healing compared with healing DFUs, suggesting
a possible role of IL-34 in DFU healing. In the clinical specimens, IL-34 was significantly
downregulated in non-healing DFUs, consistent with the bioinformatics results.
Conclusion: IL-34 expression is downregulated in non-healing DFU. IL-34 appears to be
involved in DFU healing, but the exact causal relationship remains to be explored.