Thrombospondin-4 is a soluble dermal inflammatory signal that activates the fibroblast migration for skin regeneration and wound healing

The present study aimed to investigate the role of Thbs4 in skin regeneration and elucidate its effects on cellular responses. Here we show that Thbs4 expression is upregulated in healing skin wounds and wound healing can be promoted by the application of recombinant Thbs4 protein. Thbs4 was shown to promote keratinocyte proliferation and fibroblast migration by activating ß-catenin signalling cascade. This indicates that incorporating Thbs4 into novel wound healing therapies can be a promising therapeutic strategy for hard-to-heal chronic wounds. Overall design: Changes in human primary skin fibroblast mRNA profiles in response to stimulation with recombinant Thbs4 protein