The Effect of Vitamins A, E, C and D on wound healing

Introduction: Wound healing is a dynamic and complex process that leads to the restoration of tissue integrity and homeostasis. It involves four phases such as homeostasis, inflammation, proliferation and tissue remodeling. Vitamins are undoubtedly the most studied micronutrients in the process of wound healing. Vitamin deficiency profoundly impacts cell migration and proliferation, and is thus an influential factor of long-term wound healing. As mentioned, Vitamins are extremely important in wound healing process, for instance: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble micronutrient required for human health. Vitamin C is involved in all phases of wound healing; in the inflammatory of apoptosis during the proliferative, vitamin C assists in the synthesis, maturation, secretion and degradation of collagen. Deficiencies affect the maturation phase by altering collagen production and scar formation. Finally, it promotes collagen synthesize in order to heal the wounds. Vitamin D is an important regulator of immune system function and it decreases chronic inflammatory effects in a variety of tissues. It is also a pleiotropic molecule that has widespread effects not only on calcium homeostasis, but also cellular differentiation, proliferation and immune response. Vitamin A is another essential micronutrient found in the forms of retinols, retinals, and retinoic acids. Retinoids regulate the growth and differentiation of many cell types within skin, and its deficiency leads to abnormal epithelial keratinization. Vitamin E is composed of subfamilies that include tocopherols and tocotrienols. These compounds have antioxidant properties but differ in structure, nutrition and potency. Vitamin E affects the process of wound healing by modulating cell signaling, gene expression and affect wounds infected with methicillin - resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), thus influencing wound healing.Methods: this study aims to assess, through a systematic literature review, the Effect of Vitamins A, E, C and D on wound healing. For this purpose, we conducted an electronic search in all database for published papers over the past 5 years.Results: As a result of the importance of vitamins can be noted that Vitamin C plays an essential role in all phases of wound healing: cellular apoptosis, antioxidant processes and collagen synthesis and bone formation. It can promote wound healing through pleiotropic mechanisms. Vitamin D has been recognized as a regulator of epidermal and hair follicle differentiation. Vitamin D treatment could prevent the infection of the underlying tissue. Vitamin A deficiency can delay collagen synthesis, reduce collagen stability and increase susceptibility to infection, and studies have shown that low levels of vitamin A can cause chronic ulcers. Vitamin A enhances the inflammatory response, angiogenesis, and collagen synthesis in incisional wounds, and it enhances re-epithelialization in wounded skin and restores epithelial structure. In general, vitamin E is useful for wound healing and immune function and also it has potential antimicrobial benefits.Conclusion: This study have shown that, vitamins are effective in all phases of wound healing process, and their deficiency will delay recovery, and these knowledge give us a better prospective in wound healing.

کلیدواژه ها:

Vitamins ، Wound healing ، skin