Thymosin β4 has a major role in dermal burn wound healing that involves actin cytoskeletal remodelling via heat-shock protein 70.

Rapid vascular remodelling of damaged dermal tissue is required to heal burn wounds. Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) is a growth factor that has been shown to promote angiogenesis and dermal wound repair. However, the underlying mechanisms based on Tβ4 function have not yet been fully investigated. In the present study, we investigated how Tβ4 improves dermal burn wound healing via actin cytoskeletal remodelling and the action of heat-shock proteins (HSPs), which are a vital set of chaperone proteins that respond to heat shock. Our in vitro results achieved with the use of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) revealed a possible signal between Tβ4 and HSP70. Moreover, we confirmed that remodelling of filamentous actin (F-actin) was regulated by Tβ4-induced HSP70 in HUVECs. Based on these in vitro results, we confirmed the healing effects of Tβ4 in an adapted dermal burn wound in vivo model. Tβ4 improved wound-healing markers, such as wound closure and vascularization. Moreover, Tβ4 maintained the long-term expression of HSP70, which is associated with F-actin regulation during the wound-healing period. These results suggest that an association between Tβ4 and HSP70 is responsible for the healing of burn wounds, and that this association may regulate F-actin remodelling. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.