Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Diabetes. Jul 15, 2026; 17(7): 120721
Published online Jul 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.120721
Published online Jul 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.120721
Targeting the CTRP3-PTEN-PI3K/AKT axis in diabetic wound repair: Implications for keratinocyte resilience
Hadi Karimkhani, Medical Biochemistry, Istanbul Okan University, Medical School, Istanbul 34959, Türkiye
Author contributions: Karimkhani H was the sole author of this manuscript. The author conceived the editorial concept, performed the literature analysis, drafted the manuscript, revised the manuscript in response to reviewers’ comments, prepared the figure, approved the final version of the manuscript, and agrees to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
AI contribution statement: No AI tool was used for the preparation, drafting, data interpretation, scientific argumentation, conclusion writing, or reference generation of this manuscript. The manuscript was prepared and critically reviewed by the authors. For transparency, the final manuscript was screened using Pangram AI Detector, which classified the document as 100% human-written and 0% AI-generated. In addition, an iThenticate similarity report showed an overall similarity index of 8%, with no integrity flags. These reports can be provided to the editorial office upon request.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest related to this manuscript.
Corresponding author: Hadi Karimkhani, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medical Biochemistry, Istanbul Okan University, Medical School, Tepeören Mahallesi Tuzla Kampüsü, Istanbul 34959, Türkiye. drhadi.h@gmail.com
Received: March 10, 2026
Revised: May 10, 2026
Accepted: May 28, 2026
Published online: July 15, 2026
Processing time: 125 Days and 6.4 Hours
Revised: May 10, 2026
Accepted: May 28, 2026
Published online: July 15, 2026
Processing time: 125 Days and 6.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Diabetic wound healing is severely impaired by metabolic dysregulation, chronic inflammation, and defective keratinocyte function. Emerging evidence highlights CTRP3 as a metabolically responsive adipokine with regenerative potential. Recent experimental findings indicate that CTRP3 promotes keratinocyte proliferation, migration, and angiogenic signaling while suppressing PTEN to activate the PI3K/AKT pathway. This editorial discusses how the CTRP3-PTEN-PI3K/AKT axis integrates metabolic signaling with epithelial repair processes and may represent a promising molecular target for improving diabetic wound healing outcomes.