title: [Escharectomy during burn shock on Th1/Th2 polarization of helper T lymphocytes in rats after thermal injury].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the type-1/type-2 cytokine response of helper T lymphocytes after thermal injury, and to investigate the effects of escharectomy during burn shock stage on the polarization of Th cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and sixty male Wistar rats were randomized into four groups. In group A, animals were subjected to a 30 percent full-thickness thermal injury without escharectomy. In groups B, C and D, escharectomy and skin allograft were done at 8, 24, and 96 hours postburn, respectively. At 4, 12, 24, 48, 96, 120 and 168 hours postburn, animals were killed and bloods samples as well as spleens were harvested. Enzyme linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) was applied to determine interferon-gamma(IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4(IL-4) levels in blood and spleen tissues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Levels of IFN-gamma and IL-4 rapidly and significantly were increased after scald injury. IFN-gamma levels began to rise within 4 hours postburn, peaking at 24 hours later. IL-4 showed a persistent elevation up to 168 hours postburn, thereby leading to a dominant tendency of Th2 cytokine response on postburn day 7. In group A, all above parameters revealed most obvious changes compared with controls, then ranked in group D, B and C.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Escharectomy during burn shock stage is helpful to prevent the shift to Th2 cell response after severe thermal injury.
authors.affiliation: Burn Center of Secondary Artillery General Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Beijing 100088, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Xiu-rong
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Shuai
authors.forename: Zhen-rong
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yong-ming
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Li-hong
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery*; D016764:Cell Polarity; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012774:Shock, Traumatic / Q000276:immunology*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015847:Interleukin-4