Chemokine Ligand-Receptor Axes for Therapeutic Targeting During Skin Regeneration

Abstract

Chemokines and their cognate receptor interactions regulate the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory signals to support the physiological functions of the skin. Chemokines also regulate the process of angiogenesis, epithelialization and collagen deposition. A severely dysregulated chemokine ligand-receptor network has been observed in chronic non-healing wounds and skin diseases. Evaluation of the chemokine signaling pathways in pathological skin conditions is essential for the development of targeted therapeutic interventions that can enhance skin regeneration. Although chemokines and their receptors serve as attractive targets for drug discovery, clinical trials to date have seen limited success, especially in skin regeneration. Repurposing of the already established drugs can overcome the limitations. Therefore, we identified a set of chemokines and chemokine receptors that are expressed during skin regeneration. Further, we provided a network of existing drugs targeting these chemokines and chemokine receptors that can be repurposed for enhancing skin regeneration in chronic wounds and skin diseases. This review underscores the pivotal role of chemokine ligand-receptors axes in complex wounds and skin diseases and highlights the preclinical and clinical breakthroughs targeting these networks for skin regeneration.