12/15-lipoxygenase orchestrates murine wound healing via PPARγ-activating oxylipins acting holistically to dampen inflammation
12/15-lipoxygenase (12/15-LOX, <i>Alox15</i>) generates bioactive oxygenated lipids during inflammation, however its homeostatic role(s) in normal healing are unclear. Here, the role of 12/15-LOX in resolving skin wounds was elucidated, focusing on how its lipids act together in physiologically relevant amounts. In mice, wounding caused acute appearance of 12/15-LOX-expressing macrophages and stem cells, coupled to early generation of ~12 monohydroxy-oxylipins and enzymatically oxidized phospholipids (eoxPL). <i>Alox15</i> deletion increased collagen deposition, stem cell/fibroblast proliferation, IL6/pSTAT3, pSMAD3, and interferon (IFN)-γ levels. Conversely, CD206 expression, F480+ cells, and MMP9 and MMP2 activities were reduced. <i>Alox15<sup>-/-</sup></i> skin was deficient in PPARγ/adiponectin activity. Furthermore, while pro-inflammatory genes were upregulated as normal during wounding, many including <i>Il6, Il1b, ccl4, Cd14, Cd274, Clec4d, Clec4e, Csf3, Cxcl2, and miR-21</i> failed to revert to baseline during healing, indicating disruption of PPARγ's anti-inflammatory brake on NLRP3/inflammasome and TGF-β signaling. Reconstituting <i>Alox15<sup>-/-</sup></i> wounds with a physiological mixture of <i>Alox15</i>-derived primary oxylipins generated by healing wounds restored MMP and dampened collagen deposition. The oxylipin mixture activated the PPARγ response element in vitro, while in vivo, its coactivator, <i>Helz2</i>, was significantly upregulated as well as several fatty acid and prostaglandin PPARγ ligands. Additional inflammatory and proliferative gene networks impacted by <i>Alox15<sup>-/-</sup></i> included <i>Elf4, Cebpb</i>, and Tcf3. In summary, 12/15-LOX generates abundant monohydroxy oxylipins that act together via PPARγ. The identification of multiple gene alterations reveals several targets for treating nonhealing wounds. Our studies demonstrate that 12/15-LOX oxylipins act in concert, dampening inflammation in vivo, revealing the need to consider lipid signaling holistically.
Authors
- Ana Cardus Figueras (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4699-6205)
- R. Inglis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9115-3261)
- James J. Burston (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6212-6870)
- Antonio Vidal‐Puig (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4220-9577)
- Stefania Carobbio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6631-7930)
- Antony Leonard
- Victoria J. Tyrrell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2987-118X)
- Simon A. Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7297-9711)
- Ben Cossins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0935-2198)
- Barbara Szomolay (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5375-5533)
- Valerie B. O’Donnell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4089-8460)
- Jaime Alfredo Costales (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9418-6640)
- Christopher P. Thomas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5840-8613)
- Robert Andrews (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3491-2361)
- Jorge Álvarez-Jarreta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0946-0957)
- Majd Protty (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8992-9120)
- Carol Guy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1629-7385)
- Sam R. C. Johnson
- Lydia Fice
- Maceler Aldrovandi
Institutions
- Wellcome/MRC Institute of Metabolic Science (GB)
- MRC Epidemiology Unit (GB)
- Institute of Infection and Immunity (CA)
- Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe (ES)
- Cardiff University (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2025-09-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2502640122
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Immune Response and Inflammation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.19
Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Royal Society
- University of Bristol
- Medical Research Council
- European Regional Development Fund
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación
- HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council