Huang XL, Wang Y, Chen DF, Duan JN, Michael N, Jiang R, Ge YS, Wang B. Decapping scavenger enzyme as a promising biomarker in diabetic foot ulcers: A need for cautious interpretation. World J Diabetes 2026; 17(2): 116056 [DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v17.i2.116056]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Bin Wang, PhD, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebral Diseases, College of Basic Medical Sciences, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Drug Research and Development of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dalian Medical University, No. 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian 116000, Liaoning Province, China. wb101900@126.com
Research Domain of This Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
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Letter to the Editor
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Feb 15, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 12, 2026
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Publication Name
World Journal of Diabetes
ISSN
1948-9358
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Huang XL, Wang Y, Chen DF, Duan JN, Michael N, Jiang R, Ge YS, Wang B. Decapping scavenger enzyme as a promising biomarker in diabetic foot ulcers: A need for cautious interpretation. World J Diabetes 2026; 17(2): 116056 [DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v17.i2.116056]
World J Diabetes. Feb 15, 2026; 17(2): 116056 Published online Feb 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v17.i2.116056
Decapping scavenger enzyme as a promising biomarker in diabetic foot ulcers: A need for cautious interpretation
Xiao-Ling Huang, Ying Wang, De-Fang Chen, Jin-Nian Duan, Ntim Michael, Rong Jiang, Yu-Song Ge, Bin Wang
Xiao-Ling Huang, Ying Wang, De-Fang Chen, Jin-Nian Duan, Ntim Michael, Bin Wang, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebral Diseases, College of Basic Medical Sciences, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Drug Research and Development of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116000, Liaoning Province, China
Xiao-Ling Huang, Ying Wang, Yu-Song Ge, Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116000, Liaoning Province, China
Rong Jiang, Department of Physiology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai 264000, Shandong Province, China
Co-first authors: Xiao-Ling Huang and Ying Wang.
Co-corresponding authors: Yu-Song Ge and Bin Wang.
Author contributions: Huang XL and Wang Y contributed equally as co-first authors. They led the conceptualization and design of this letter, conducted the comprehensive literature review, synthesized the key insights, and drafted the manuscript. They also completed the initial and subsequent revisions, playing a central role in structuring the narrative, identifying critical issues, and ensuring that the discussion was both rigorous and thought-provoking; Chen DF, Jiang R and Duan JN made substantial contributions to literature screening and reference management. They assisted in organizing the manuscript framework, verified source validity, and refined key arguments to enhance clarity and coherence. They also provided valuable feedback during multiple rounds of revision, strengthening the overall logic and scholarly quality of the letter; Ge YS and Wang B served as co-corresponding authors and supervised the entire project. They offered essential intellectual guidance, ensured scientific rigor, and were closely involved in all stages of manuscript refinement. Their constructive critiques helped sharpen the argumentation and elevate the overall impact of the work. Additionally, Wang B facilitated institutional support and access to relevant research resources; this letter was completed through close collaboration among all authors; each made significant and indispensable contributions to the development, refinement, and finalization of the manuscript.
Supported by General Program of the Joint Fund Project under the Liaoning Provincial Science and Technology Plan, No. 2024-MSLH-104; and Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, No. ZR2022QH087.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bin Wang, PhD, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebral Diseases, College of Basic Medical Sciences, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Drug Research and Development of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dalian Medical University, No. 9 West Section, Lvshun South Road, Dalian 116000, Liaoning Province, China. wb101900@126.com
Received: November 2, 2025 Revised: November 23, 2025 Accepted: December 10, 2025 Published online: February 15, 2026 Processing time: 97 Days and 15.9 Hours
Abstract
Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) remains a major cause of morbidity and lower-limb amputation worldwide. Accurate risk assessment and timely intervention are critical for improving healing outcomes. A recent study identified the decapping scavenger enzyme (DCPS), an N7-methylguanosine (m7G)-related gene, as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker for DFU. Reduced DCPS expression was found to impair keratinocyte proliferation, migration, and cell-cycle progression, highlighting its possible role in m7G-mediated wound repair. Despite these promising insights, several challenges must be addressed before DCPS can be translated into clinical practice. First, DCPS expression may vary among patients with metabolic or inflammatory disorders, limiting its disease specificity. Second, standardized reference ranges for DCPS quantification have not yet been established. Moreover, whether DCPS modulation can directly enhance wound healing remains uncertain. Overall, DCPS provides a novel mechanistic link between RNA methylation and chronic wound pathology, but its clinical application as a biomarker or therapeutic target warrants careful validation.
Core Tip: Decapping scavenger enzyme (DCPS), an N7-methylguanosine-related gene, has emerged as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) by linking RNA methylation to impaired keratinocyte function and wound repair. However, its variable expression, lack of standardized reference ranges, and uncertain therapeutic efficacy necessitate further validation. Future research should clarify DCPS’s regulatory mechanisms, develop clinical quantification standards, and assess targeted modulation to enhance its diagnostic precision and therapeutic potential in DFU.
