Epoxytiglianes induce keratinocyte wound healing responses via classical protein kinase C activation to promote skin re-epithelialization

Epoxytiglianes are a novel class of diterpene esters. The prototype epoxytigliane, EBC-46 (tigilanol tiglate), is a potent anti-cancer agent in clinical development for local treatment of a range of human and animal tumors. EBC-46 also consistently promotes wound re-epithelialization at the treatment sites, mediated via activation of classical protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms. We have previously shown that epoxytiglianes stimulate proliferative and wound repopulation responses in immortalized human skin keratinocytes (HaCaTs) in vitro, abrogated by pan-PKC inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide-1. In this study, we further investigate the specific PKC isoforms responsible for inducing such wound healing responses, following HaCaT treatment with 1.51 nM-15.1 µM EBC-46 or analogue, EBC-211. Classical PKC inhibition by GӦ6976 (1 μM), significantly attenuated epoxytigliane induced, HaCaT proliferation and wound repopulation at all epoxytigliane concentrations. PKC-βI/-βII isoform inhibition by enzastaurin (1 μM), significantly inhibited HaCaT proliferation and wound repopulation responses induced by both epoxytiglianes, especially at 1.51–151 nM. PKC-α inhibitor, Ro 31–8220 mesylate (10 nM), exerted lesser inhibitory effects on HaCaT responses. Epoxytigliane changes in key keratin (KRT17) and cell cycle (cyclin B1, CDKN1A) protein levels were partly attenuated by GӦ6976 and enzastaurin. GӦ6976 also inhibited increases in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-1, MMP-7, MMP-10) activities. Phospho-PKC (p-PKC) studies confirmed that epoxytiglianes transiently activated classical PKC isoforms (p-PKCα, p-PKC-βI/-βII, p-PKCγ) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. By identifying how epoxytiglianes stimulate classical PKCs to facilitate keratinocyte healing responses and re-epithelialization, these findings support further epoxytigliane development as topical therapeutics for clinical situations involving impaired re-epithelialization, such as non-healing wounds in skin.