Model System:

Burn

Reference Type:

JA

Accession No.:

Journal:


Plast Reconstr Surg

Year, Volume, Issue, Page(s):

, 115, 4, 1095-102

Publication Website:

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Substance P, a cutaneous neuroinflammatory mediator released from peripheral nerves, plays a role in responses to injury. Neutral endopeptidase is a cell membrane-bound metallopeptidase enzyme that regulates substance P activity. The question of substance P involvement in hypertrophic scar development has been based on observations that hypertrophic scars have increased numbers of nerves. The authors hypothesized that hypertrophic scar has greater substance P levels and decreased neutral endopeptidase activity compared with uninjured skin and acute partial-thickness burns, which may contribute to an exuberant response to injury. METHODS: The authors obtained small skin samples of deep partial-thickness burns (n = 7; postburn days 7 to 78) and uninjured skin (n = 14) from patients (eight male patients and six female patients; 2 to 71 years old) undergoing burn wound excision. Hypertrophic scar samples were obtained from six patients (three male patients and three female patients; 8 to 47 years old) undergoing surgical excision 13 to 64 months after burn injury. Protein concentrations were determined using a bicinchoninic acid assay. Substance P concentration was determined by means of indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Neutral endopeptidase activity was measured using an enzymatic assay that quantifies a fluorescent degradation product, methoxy-2-naphthylamine (MNA). Substance P and neutral endopeptidase data were standardized to sample weight. RESULTS: Substance P levels were greater in hypertrophic scar (3506 pg/g) compared with uninjured skin (1698 pg/g; p

Author(s):


Scott, J.R., Muangman, P.R., Tamura, R.N., Zhu, K.Q., Liang, Z., Anthony, J., Engrav, L.H., Gibran, N.S.

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