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. 2007 Nov-Dec;11(6):1342-51.
doi: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2007.00037.x.

Differential cytokine activity and morphology during wound healing in the neonatal and adult rat skin

W Wagner  1 , M Wehrmann
Affiliations

Differential cytokine activity and morphology during wound healing in the neonatal and adult rat skin

W Wagner et al. J Cell Mol Med. 2007 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Wound-healing mechanisms change during transition from prenatal to postnatal stage. Cytokines are known to play a key role in this process. The current study investigated the differential cytokine activity and healing morphology during healing of incisional skin wounds in rats of the ages neonatal (p0), 3 days old (p3) and adult, after six different healing times (2 hrs to 30 days). All seven tested cytokines (Transforming Growth Factor (TGF) alpha, TGFbeta1, -beta2 and -beta3, IGF 1, Platelet Derived Growth Factor A (PDGF A), basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) exhibited higher expression in the adult wounds than at the ages p0 and p3. Expression typically peaked between 12 hrs and 3 days post-wounding, and was not detectable any more at days 10 and 30. The neonate specimen showed more rapid re-epithelialization, far less inflammation and scarring, and larger restitution of original tissue architecture than their adult counterparts, resembling a prenatal healing pattern. The results may encourage the use of neonatal rat skin as a wound-healing model for further studies, instead of the more complicated prenatal animal models. Secondly, the data may recommend inhibition of PDGF A, basic FGF or TGF-beta1 as therapeutic targets in efforts to optimize wound healing in the adult organism.

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Figures

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1
Incisional wound area after six different healing times (2 hrs, 12 hrs, 24 hrs, 1 day, 3 days, 10 days, 30 days) in neonatal, 3 day old and adult rat skin. Haematoxylin-Eosin-stain. Bar in left top = 200 μm (p0 and p3 at 2 hrs, 12 hrs, 24 hrs and 3 days) or 500 μm (p0 and p3 at 10 days and 30 days, all adult sections).
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Immunostain against TGF-α (example). Incisional wound area after six different healing times in neonatal, 3 day old and adult rat skin. Bar in left top = 500 μm (all sections).
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Temporal distribution of cytokine expression in the wound site. Semi-quantitative evaluation. Abscissa: healing time, Ordinate: expression strength. Lines: P0: ––□–– ; p3: ––O;––; adult: …X….
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Temporal distribution of cytokine expression in the wound site. Semi-quantitative evaluation by age group. Lines: TGF-α: —x—; TGF-β1: …□…; TGF-β2: ––O;––; TGF-β3: ––*––; PDGF-A: ––+––; IGF-1: —-▵—-; bFGF: – . –·–▿–·–.
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