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Decapping scavenger enzyme as a promising biomarker in diabetic foot ulcers: A need for cautious interpretation

Year: 2026

Type: article

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.

Source: World Journal of Diabetes

DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v17.i2.116056