Proceedings of the Merck & Elsevier Young Chemists Symposium (MEYCS 2018)

Diabetic foot ulcer is becoming a social problem that affects patients, even at a young age. Several treatments are available but these are invasive and new compounds from natural sources are emerging as new tools for skin repair. From these, the flavonoid quercetin showed good properties although its easy autoxidation limited its therapeutic use [1]. In this context, a lipase-catalyzed esterification with oleic acid was proposed to overcome this limitation [2]. The hybrid quercetin-3-oleate showed good proliferative effects in keratinocyte HaCat cell line and an in intracellular TGFβ expression in skin fibroblast RAT-1 cell line. Docking simulations suggested that the compound could interact with both GPR40 and GPR120 receptors. The hybrid was efficacious in an animal model of skin wounds. In patients affected by diabetic foot ulcer, it favored the wound closure in 3-7 days. In conclusion, the topical administration of quercetin-3- oleate hybrid may represent an effective new pharmacological tool for skin repair.