biostudies-literaturevan der Plas MJSwedish Government Funds for Clinical ResearchStiftelsen Lars Hiertas MinneKnut and Alice Wallenberg FoundationLEO FoundationHudfondenSwedish Research CouncilOE och Edla Johanssons Vetenskapliga StiftelseAlfred Österlunds StiftelseSwedish Strategic Research FoundationÅke Wiberg StiftelseRoyal Physiographic Society in LundVINNOVALEO Fondete66876https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8260221biostudies-literatureUnknown10The normal wound healing process is characterised by proteolytic events, whereas infection results in dysfunctional activations by endogenous and bacterial proteases. Peptides, downstream reporters of these proteolytic actions, could therefore serve as a promising tool for diagnosis of wounds. Using mass-spectrometry analyses, we here for the first time characterise the peptidome of human wound fluids. Sterile post-surgical wound fluids were found to contain a high degree of peptides in comparison to human plasma. Analyses of the peptidome from uninfected healing wounds and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> -infected wounds identify unique peptide patterns of various proteins, including coagulation and complement factors, proteases, and antiproteinases. Together, the work defines a workflow foreLifeMethod development and characterisation of the low-molecular-weight peptidome of human wound fluids.PMC8260221LF180202017-023412011.00372020-02016Saleh KKjellstrom Svan der Plas MJCai JPetrlova JSchmidtchen AfalseMethod development and characterisation of the low-molecular-weight peptidome of human wound fluids.The normal wound healing process is characterised by proteolytic events, whereas infection results in dysfunctional activations by endogenous and bacterial proteases. Peptides, downstream reporters of these proteolytic actions, could therefore serve as a promising tool for diagnosis of wounds. Using mass-spectrometry analyses, we here for the first time characterise the peptidome of human wound fluids. Sterile post-surgical wound fluids were found to contain a high degree of peptides in comparison to human plasma. Analyses of the peptidome from uninfected healing wounds and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> -infected wounds identify unique peptide patterns of various proteins, including coagulation and complement factors, proteases, and antiproteinases. Together, the work defines a workflow for2021-01-01T00:00:00Z2021 Jul2026-05-09T07:51:15.597Z2022-02-10T18:36:38.258ZS-EPMC82602213422793910.7554/eLife.66876