Immunohistopathological appearance of three different types of injury in human skin.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether underlying mechanisms of inflammation, like cellular infiltrates, expression of adhesion molecule and cytokine patterns are similar under different conditions of injury. Skin biopsies were taken of three different groups of patients in which local inflammation of the skin might occur. MATERIAL, PATIENTS: Skin activation was studied as a result of incision during surgery under aseptic conditions, as a result of a local bacterial infection and as a result of blunt trauma, resulting in a femoral fracture, without disruption of the epithelial barrier.


METHODS
Skin biopsies were snap frozen for immunohistochemical analysis.


RESULTS
Incision of the skin resulted in a granulocyte infiltrate, paralleled by E-selectin expression. As a result of infection granulocytes were observed and monocyte/macrophage and T cell numbers were increased. Furthermore, E-selectin, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 expression increased and cytokine expression markedly changed compared to normal skin. Skin taken at the site of the femoral fracture showed no signs of inflammation.


CONCLUSIONS
Different stimuli lead to different local inflammatory responses in human skin.
Van Der Laan
N
N
Department of Surgery, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands. r.renkema@chir.azg.nl
de Leij
L F
LF
ten Duis
H J
HJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012874:Skin Diseases, Infectious / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000473:pathology; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D016207:Cytokines