Seeking Candidate Molecules As Prognostic Healing Markers In Chronic Venous Ulcers

Seeking and identifying biomarker molecules in inflammatory exudate of chronic venous ulcers (CVUs) can aid health professionals in the healing prognosis. The therapeutic failure or cure is related to the quantitative expression of determinate proteins. This work aimed to identify the proteins expressed in inflammatory exudates from CVUs and correlate them with reduction or increase in the wound size. For 90 days, 28 participants that received standard treatment for 37 CVUs were monitored. The inflammatory exudates were collected before treatment initiation (T=0) and analyzed via the Label-free Shotgun. After 90 days the wound area was reduced in 25 (67.6%) of them. Mass spectrometry analysis of all the inflammatory exudates showed four proteins differentially expressed and related to favorable or unfavorable evolution of the healing process. Complement C3 and ceruloplasmin were identified in all the lesions analyzed and were expressed differentially in lesions that presented diminished area in the studied period. Apoliprotein A1 and neutrophil defensin-1 presented differential expression in ulcers that either did not diminish or augmented their wound area through 90 days. These results suggest that Complement C3, Ceruloplasmin, Apoliprotein A1 and Neutrophil-defensin-1 proteins are potential candidate molecules for prognostic healing markers in chronic venous ulcers.