Abstract:Objective To explore the effects of oyster hydrolysate on the healing of skin and soft tissue injuries in type 2 diabetic mice and to analyze the underlying mechanisms.Methods A total of 50 type 2 diabetic mice with skin and soft tissue injuries were randomly divided into 5 groups, including model control group, positive control group and low-, medium- and high-dose oyster hydrolysate groups, with 10 mice in each group. Mice in low-, medium- and high-dose oyster hydrolysate groups were given 0.25 g/ 10 (g·d), 0.50 g/10 (g·d), and 1.00 g/ 10 (g·d) of oyster hydrolysate by gavage on the next day after establishing the models, while the mice in the model control group and the positive control group were given the same amount of normal saline and 0.1 mL / 10 (g·d) of Chueun Composite Peptide Nutritional Diet I by gavage on the same day. The wounds on mice were observed and the wound area was calculated on the 3rd, 7th and 14th day after administration. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of the wound tissues on the 14th day after establishing the models. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The protein expressions of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in wound tissues were detected by Western blotting.Results The rate of wound healing in all the groups on the 3rd, 7th and 14th day after establishing the models were compared via repeated measures analysis of variance, and the results exhibited that the rate of wound healing was different among the time points (F = 12.978, P = 0.000) and among the groups (F = 16.836, P = 0.000), and that the change trend of the rate of wound healing was also different among the groups (F = 22.128, P = 0.000). The HE staining showed that the frequency of newly formed granulation tissues, hair follicles, sweat gland cells and ductal proliferation on the 3rd, 7th and 14th day after establishing the models was higher in the low-, medium- and high-dose oyster hydrolysate groups relative to that in the model control group. Compared with the model control group, the wound healing rate and the protein expressions of SDF-1 and CXCR-4 were higher, yet the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were lower in the low-, medium- and high-dose oyster hydrolysate groups in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05).Conclusions The oyster hydrolysate can accelerate the healing of skin and soft tissue injuries in type 2 diabetic mice, which may be achieved by activating the SDF-1/CXCR-4 pathway and inhibiting inflammatory responses in wound tissues.