Wound healing effects of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors: An emerging concept in management of diabetic foot ulcer-A review

Abstract

Objective: Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors have a well-known effect on glycaemic control in patients with diabetes but little is known on their wound healing role in this group of population. This paper reviews the effects of DPP-4 inhibitors on wound healing of diabetic foot ulcers.

Methods: Published data on effects and mechanism of DDP-4 inhibitors on wound healing were derived from Medline, PubMed and Google Scholar search of English language literature from 1994 to 2014 using the key words such as "DPP-4 inhibitors", "endothelial healing" "diabetes" and "chronic ulcers".

Results: DPP-4 inhibitors show a potential benefit in processes of wound healing in diabetic chronic foot ulcers. The enzyme inhibitors promote recruitment of endothelial progenitor cells and allow the final scaffolding of wounds. Furthermore DPP-4 inhibitors augment angiogenesis and have widespread effects on optimising the immune response to persistent hypoxia in chronic diabetes wounds.

Conclusion: DPP-4 inhibitors show promise in the local wound healing of diabetic foot ulcers in addition to its already established glycaemic control. In the light of high rate of amputations due to non-healing ulcers with profound psychological and economical liability, more investigations on the usefulness of DPP-4 inhibitors in the high risk diabetes population are needed.

Keywords: Diabetes; Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors; Wound healing.