Enhancing skin wound healing by direct delivery of intracellular adenosine triphosphate

BackgroundA new intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) delivery technique has been developed and was tested for skin wound care.MethodsEleven pairs of adult nude mice were used. ATP-vesicles were applied in 11 mice, and another 11 mice were treated with lipid vesicles only.ResultsThe group treated with ATP-encapsulated fusogenic small, unilamellar lipid vesicles healed faster than the group treated with only lipid vesicles. Histologic study indicated better developed granular tissue and re-epithelialization in the study group, and wound tissue vascular endothelial growth factor expressions were also higher in ATP-vesicles treated mice.ConclusionsThis intracellular ATP delivery system may provide a new hope for wound healing as well as the treatment of medical conditions in which ischemia is involved.