Carbon Dots Induce Epithelial‐Mesenchymal Transition for Promoting Cutaneous Wound Healing via Activation of TGF‐β/p38/Snail Pathway

Abstract

Abstract Skin lesions, as a relatively common clinical manifestation, not only damage the skin's barrier function, but also affect the skin's ability to feel temperature, pain and touch. However, a highly efficient method to restore the morphology and function of damaged skin remains an unmet goal. In this work, carbon dots (CDots) with excellent biocompatibility are synthesized via microwave‐assisted heating ascorbic acid and polyethyleneimine. The synthesized CDots can induce the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) process by activating transforming growth factor‐β/p‐38 mitogen‐activated kinase/Snail signaling pathway, leading to an increase of cell motility. Further, by assessing a series of in vivo wound healing assays and histological examinations, it is demonstrated that CDots can accelerate the migration of epithelial cells in the full‐thickness cutaneous wounds through EMT. As a result, a rapid re‐epithelialization covers the granulation tissue and epidermal barrier formed, leading to a block of the external stimuli, reduction of the inflammatory reaction and the granulation tissue area, and finally the promotion of the wound healing with fewer scars.