Abstract

The closure of skin wounds is indispensable for resistance against pathogens, and fibroblast plays a critical role in skin wound healing. Our previous study demonstrates that the phosvitin-derived small peptide Pt5-1c not only possesses broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity but also exhibits synergistic effect and antibiofilm activity with traditional antibiotics against bacteria, including multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains. Here we provided the first evidence that Pt5-1c promoted the wound closure of surrogate scratch “wounds” of fibroblasts in vitro , and speeded up the healing and re-epithelialization of murine dermal wounds in vivo . We also showed that Pt5-1c activated migration of fibroblasts via a combined action of inducing migratory phenotype and trans-activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Moreover, Pt5-1c accelerated attachment and proliferation of fibroblasts in vitro . Interestingly, Pt5-1c was able to promote collagen contraction through activation/differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts . These data together suggest that Pt5-1c is a promising candidate with therapeutic potential to promote wound healing.