Use of Piezo Inhibitors for the Prevention of Skin Scarring

Skin wounds invariably heal by developing fibrotic scar tissue, which can result in devastating disfigurement, growth restriction and permanent functional loss. Despite a plethora of clinical options and an enormous consumer market for scar treatment; no current therapeutic strategy prevents or reverses this fibrotic process. Inventors at Stanford developed a novel method of use of Piezo1 and Piezo2 inhibitors in the prevention of skin scarring. Piezo channels are mechanosensitive ion channels that mediate stretch sensation. Piezo1 and Piezo2 inhibitors inhibit cellular mechanical signaling, an important contributor to scarring and fibrosis. Using a mouse model of wound healing, we find that a single dose of piezo1 or piezo2 treatment (local injection) reduces scarring and fibrosis, specifically via adipocytes as they are mechanically sensitive. Aside from physically offloading wound tension through specialized wound dressings, no effective therapy for skin scarring exists. No targeted molecular agents have been able to reduce scar burden while not comprising or delaying wound repair. The novel method not only reduces scarring, but also improves scar appearance and allows for regrowth of skin elements such as hair follicles and sweat glands (absent in scars), which are highly significant outcomes for patients suffering from skin scarring.