Estimation of local vital reactions in severely burned tissues of guinea pig skin using C3a or C3a desArg as a marker.
We observed changes in levels of anaphylatoxin C3a and/or its desArg (C3a/C3a desArg) peptides in the local site of severely burned skin tissues of guinea pigs using immuno-Western blotting methods. The C3a/C3a desArg peptides, which were probably generated during complement activation, were detected at significant levels from 30 min to 72 h following burn injury in an area limited to 3 mm from the wound edge. Levels of these peptides showed a tendency to be highest in that area 24 h after burn infliction. In postmortem injuries, C3a/C3a desArg peptides could not be detected. These peptides were detected in antemortem wounds up to at least 2 days at 22 degrees C and up to 3 days at 4 degrees C after death, although decreases in levels were found. Lower concentrations of these peptides were also found in postmortem burns in which postmortem hypostasis appeared strongly. These results suggest that, except for injuries of the area with obvious postmortem hypostasis, detection of C3a/C3a desArg can be useful for estimation of vital reactions in many kinds of wounds during inflammation.
Maeno
Y
Y
Department of Legal Medicine, University Medical School, Nagoya, Japan.
Mori
Y
Y
Iwasa
M
M
Inoue
H
H
D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002056:Burns / Q000473:pathology*; D015926:Complement C3a / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D008297:Male; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology
C044541:complement C3a, des-Arg-(77)-; D015926:Complement C3a