title: Immunohistochemical studies on regeneration in cultured epidermal autografts used to treat full-thickness burn wounds.
abstract: The normal pattern of healing following culture grafting is not well-established. The present study describes the immunohistochemical expression of differentiation markers during various stages of wound healing after resurfacing full-thickness burn wounds with cultured epidermal autografts. For this purpose, biopsy specimens were obtained from six patients 6 days to 4.5 years after transplantation. A panel of monoclonal antibodies was used against various differentiation-specific protein markers, including cytokeratins, involucrin, transglutaminase and filaggrin. Findings from early and late biopsies were compared with site-matched normal skin and cultured epidermal sheets. The persistence of cytokeratins 6 and 16, and to a lesser extent, the abnormal distribution of involucrin up to 4.5 years after resurfacing burns with cultured autografts was observed. These findings confirm previous studies--that the newly formed epidermis after culture grafting remains in a hyperproliferative state for a long time, which may be caused by the absence of a modulating dermal factor. Our results suggest that keratinocyte maturation following culture autografting does not return to normal for at least 4.5 years after healing of full-thickness burn wounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Teepe
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ponec
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002056:Burns / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D000091344:Filaggrin Proteins; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*