Wound healing is a complex process that includes
inflammation, tissue formation, and remodeling. While wound healing is accompanied by inflammatory reactions, chronic
inflammation impairs acute wound healing. In this study, we investigated whether
anthocyanins from black soybean seed coats could stimulate wound healing while preventing excessive
inflammation. At 24h of treatment with
anthocyanins, fibroblasts showed a significant increase in migration at 100 microg/mL whereas the migration of keratinocytes increased significantly at 50 and 100 microg/mL compared to control. Treatment of
anthocyanins for 48 h significantly stimulated the migration of both human dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes at 50 and 100 microg/mL concentrations. Treatment of cells with
anthocyanins stimulated
wound-induced
VEGF production in fibroblasts and keratinocytes. However,
anthocyanins inhibited ROS accumulation and
VEGF production in
TNF-alpha-stimulated endothelial cells. Furthermore, treatment of
anthocyanins reduced, in a dose-dependent manner, the adhesion of inflammatory monocytes to endothelial cells.
Anthocyanins also blocked both the translocation of
nuclear factor-kappa B (
NF-kappaB) p65 into the nucleus and the phosphorylation of the inhibitory factor kappaBalpha (
IkappaBalpha). Thus, treatment with
anthocyanins from black soybean seed coats may be a potential therapeutic strategy to promote wound healing and to prevent
inflammation in a persistent inflammatory condition.