Parthenolide accelerates diabetic wound healing through the STAT3 and TNF-α/NF-kappaB pathways.

Diabetic wounds, a common complication of diabetes, can elicit intricate inflammatory responses and progressive tissue damage without proper treatment. Parthenolide (PTL), a natural compound isolated from the medicinal plant feverfew (Tanacetum balsamita), possesses antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. This study seeks to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which PTL promotes diabetic wound healing. Using network pharmacology and molecular docking, we identified TNF-α and STAT3 as potential targets of PTL. In diabetic mouse models, PTL promoted wound healing with a distinct dose-dependent effect. Both 100 µM and 200 µM PTL significantly accelerated mouse wound repair, while 50 µM PTL failed to exert stable therapeutic effects, likely due to insufficient concentration. Histological and immunological staining assays confirmed that PTL promoted wound healing by enhancing keratinocyte proliferation, angiogenesis, and the conversion of macrophages to the M2 type. Furthermore, in vitro experiments were carried out by stimulating RAW264.7 macrophages with LPS. Through CCK-8 assays, immunofluorescence staining, and Western blotting, we further demonstrated that PTL might modulate the STAT3 and TNF-α/NF-κB signalling pathways, as well as regulate phenotypic switching of macrophages in the inflammatory microenvironment. Collectively, PTL promotes wound healing in diabetic conditions, a mechanism that may be mediated by the regulation of the STAT3 and TNF-α/NF-κB signalling pathways and the facilitation of macrophage phenotypic switching to the M2 phenotype to modulate wound-site inflammatory responses. Thus, PTL emerges as a potential therapeutic candidate for improving the healing of diabetic wounds.