International journal of molecular medicine
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A hypertrophic scar is the result of abnormal repair of the body after trauma. Histopathologically, it is mostly the result of the excessive proliferation of fibroblasts and the accumulation of extracellular matrix. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have a critical role in the regulation of gene expression and in the pathogenesis of diseases. ⋯ Similarly, NR_046402 acted as a competing endogenous RNA, which bound to miR‑133a‑3p.1 and miR‑4469 to then regulate the expression of the miRs' targets, including DNA polymerase δ1, catalytic subunit (POLD1). In addition, co‑expression analysis indicated that the expression of lncRNAs NR_125715 and NR_046402 was correlated with that of TGFB2 and POLD1 mRNA. The identification of these differentially expressed lncRNAs in the hypertrophic scar‑derived fibroblasts in the present study, may provide novel insight into the functional interactions of lncRNA, miRNA and mRNA, and lead to novel theories for the pathogenesis and treatment of hypertrophic scars.
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Hypertrophic scar is characterized by excessive deposits of collagen during skin wound healing, which could become a challenge to clinicians. This study assessed the effects of the extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on hypertrophic scar formation and the underlying gene regu-lation. A rabbit ear hypertrophic scar model was generated and randomly divided into three groups: L-ESWT group to receive L-ESWT (energy flux density of 0.1 mJ/mm2), H-ESWT (energy flux density of 0.2 mJ/mm2) and sham ESWT group (S-ESWT). ⋯ At the gene level, PCNA‑positive fibroblasts and α-SMA-positive myofibroblasts were significantly decreased after L-ESWT or H-ESWT compared to the controls. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in expression of PCNA mRNA between L-ESWT or H-ESWT and S-ESWT, whereas expression of α-SMA mRNA significantly decreased in L-ESWT compared to that of H-ESWT and S-ESWT (P=0.002 and P=0.030, respectively). In conclusion, L-ESWT could be effective on suppression of hypertrophic scar formation by inhibition of scar elevation index and fibroblast density as well as α-SMA expression in hypertrophic scar tissues of the rabbit model.