Low temperatures promote the healing of skin micro-injuries by inhibiting IL1β

The human skin holds a remarkable ability to adapt to external temperature changes to maintain thermal regulation and tissue integrity. Current research indicates that exposure to appropriate low temperatures can modulate the skin barrier function, but whether this can be harnessed to treat skin wounds requires further exploration. We report here that low-temperature treatment promotes skin recovery from micro-injuries by suppressing post-wound inflammation. Using hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunofluorescence, we find that low-temperature treatment at 10 °C accelerates epithelium recovery from micro-injuries by inducing epidermal and dermal cell proliferation. Through bulk and single cell RNA-sequencing analyses, we discover that low-temperature treatment leads to a significant decrease in the expression of Il1b, which is otherwise highly expressed in the dermis near the periphery of the wound according to spatial transcriptomic data. Quantitative RT-PCR and immunofluorescence further confirm the low-temperature suppression of IL1β in the region of skin micro-injuries, suggesting a potential link to the rapid recovery of the injured epithelium. Our study demonstrates the beneficial effects of low temperatures in treating skin micro-injuries, which may have important implications in tissue reconstructive surgery.