Microbial allies in skin trauma recovery: from immune modulation to engineered probiotic therapeutics.

2025-10-23
Burns & trauma 14
- Aline Yen Ling Wang
- Ana Elena Aviña
- Yen-Yu Liu
- Huang-Kai Kao

PubMed: 41550964
DOI: 10.1093/burnst/tkaf068

Study Design

Type: Review
Population: diabetic foot ulcers (DFU)
Methods: This review investigates how commensal and probiotic bacteria affect immunomodulation while accelerating epithelial growth, together with tissue repair processes.

Research shows that the microbiome of the skin is present as an active contributor to wound healing processes by moving past its historical infection-related function. The review investigates how commensal and probiotic bacteria affect immunomodulation while accelerating epithelial growth, together with tissue repair processes. Researchers use modern methods to link immunological concepts with material science along with synthetic biological techniques to study engineered probiotics which transform current wound treatments. The research study represents an extensive integration of recent findings concerning probiotic-mediated immunomodulatory operations and engineered approaches that improve probiotic delivery systems and their performance during skin wound healing procedures. Recent genetically engineered Lactobacillus reuteri strains that express chemokines like CXCL12 have been found to promote wound healing to an accelerated rate in animal models, and pre-clinical phases of clinical trials in the setting of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) has demonstrated safety and therapeutic potential. Simultaneously, another live biotherapeutic product has been validated in terms of regenerative and immunomodulatory properties in animal models and in a clinical trial, a multi-cytokine-integrated strain of Lactococcus cremoris secreting FGF-2, IL-4, and CSF-1 promoted faster wound healing in diabetic mice and healed 83% of subjects in a Phase I DFU study. The range of probiotic therapies for trauma care expands due to advancements in probiotic delivery using materials and membrane vesicles derived from probiotics. This review builds a detailed framework that connects core immune functions with modern engineering methods for developing smart wound healing systems that combine engineered probiotics with bioresponsive materials and real-time monitoring systems. Engineered probiotics promise to become an alternative strategy for treating chronic wounds and infection-related complications that currently create significant medical problems.

Research Insights

Lactobacillus fermentum HA-179→Improved Diabetic Foot Ulcer Healing
a multi-cytokine-integrated strain of Lactococcus cremoris secreting FGF-2, IL-4, and CSF-1 promoted faster wound healing in diabetic mice and healed 83% of subjects in a Phase I DFU study
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Lactobacillus fermentum HA-179→Improved Wound Healing
Recent genetically engineered Lactobacillus reuteri strains that express chemokines like CXCL12 have been found to promote wound healing to an accelerated rate in animal models, and pre-clinical phases of clinical trials in the setting of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) has demonstrated safety and therapeutic potential.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Lactobacillus reuteri HA-188→Improved Wound Healing
Recent genetically engineered Lactobacillus reuteri strains that express chemokines like CXCL12 have been found to promote wound healing to an accelerated rate in animal models, and pre-clinical phases of clinical trials in the setting of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) has demonstrated safety and therapeutic potential.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Lactobacillus rhamnosus HA-114→Improved Diabetic Foot Ulcer Healing
a multi-cytokine-integrated strain of Lactococcus cremoris secreting FGF-2, IL-4, and CSF-1 promoted faster wound healing in diabetic mice and healed 83% of subjects in a Phase I DFU study
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Lactobacillus rhamnosus HA-114→Improved Wound Healing
Recent genetically engineered Lactobacillus reuteri strains that express chemokines like CXCL12 have been found to promote wound healing to an accelerated rate in animal models, and pre-clinical phases of clinical trials in the setting of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) has demonstrated safety and therapeutic potential.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate