[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] Uijeongbu Eulji University Hospital said that a study jointly conducted by Professor Kim Jun-beom of Eulji University College of Medicine and researchers from medical schools in Korea found that the diabetes drug Evogliptin may suppress the formation of hypertrophic scars after burns.
The joint research team, made up of Professor Kim Jun-beom of Eulji University College of Medicine, Professor Kim Dong-hyun of CHA University of Science and Technology, and Professors Gi Yeon-kyung and Seo Jeong-hoon of Hallym University College of Medicine, examined the antifibrotic effects of Evogliptin using hypertrophic scar tissue formed after burns.
Hypertrophic scars are a common complication in burn patients. They are characterized by abnormally thickened, raised, and reddened skin.
In severe cases, they can cause pain, itching, and limited joint movement, significantly reducing a patient's quality of life. Surgical treatment, pressure therapy, and steroid injections are currently used, but drugs that can effectively prevent or treat hypertrophic scars remain limited.
The team isolated fibroblasts from hypertrophic scar tissue and normal skin tissue obtained from burn patients, then treated them with Evogliptin to analyze molecular biological changes. As a result, Evogliptin significantly reduced the expression of α-SMA, TGF-β1, YAP1, CTGF and other factors that play key roles in scar formation.
It also suppressed the production of extracellular matrix components that drive excessive scar formation, including type I collagen, type III collagen, and Fibronectin.
In addition, it reduced the expression of Snail, Slug, TWIST1, Vimentin, and N-cadherin, which are involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and inhibited the TGF-β/SMAD and MAPK signaling pathways that are important in fibrosis, suggesting that it can regulate the overall scar formation process.
The study is drawing attention in particular because it is a case of drug repurposing, in which a diabetes treatment already used in clinical practice is applied to a new indication. Drug repurposing has the advantage of significantly shortening development time and cost compared with new drug development, as it can leverage existing safety data and clinical experience.
Evogliptin is a DPP-4 inhibitor developed by a domestic pharmaceutical company and is currently used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Through this study, the team said it suggested the possibility that Evogliptin could be used not only for blood sugar control but also as a treatment for hypertrophic scars after burns.
Professor Kim Jun-beom, the paper's first author, said, "Hypertrophic scars after burns have a major impact on patients' functional and psychological quality of life, but effective drug treatments are very limited." He added, "This study suggests a new use for an existing diabetes drug, and we expect it could become a meaningful treatment strategy in the field of scar treatment in the future."
Meanwhile, the findings were recently published in Scientific Reports, an SCI international journal published by Nature Portfolio.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
