[A study on the time-dependent expression of phospho-p38MAPK during the skin incised wound healing in mice].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the expressions of phospho-p38MAPK(p-p38MAPK) during the incised wound healing of the skin in mice and to explore the applicability of the time-dependent expressions of p-p38MAPK in the determination of wound age.


METHODS
The expression of p-p38MAPK in incised skin wound was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot.


RESULTS
There was a minimal baseline expression of p-p38MAPK in control mouse skin. Expression of p-p38MAPK was mainly detectable in neutrophils in the wound specimens from 3hours to 12 hours after injury. Afterwards, the p-p38MAPK positive cells were mostly mononuclear cells and fibroblasts between post-injury day 1 and day 5, whereas the p-p38MAPK positive cells were mostly fibroblasts between post-injury day 7 and day 14. Morphometrically, the ratio of the p-p38MAPK positive cells to total number of the cells increased gradually in the wound specimens aged from 3 hours to 12 hours, and maximized in the wound specimens aged 12 hours with a slight decrease at 24 hours after injury. The ratio maintained at high level from post-injury day 3 to day 5, and then decreased gradually from post-injury day 7 to day 14. The expression of p-p38MAPK was observed throughout the wound healing stages by Western blot as well with a peak expression occurring between 12hour and day 3 after injury.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that p-p38MAPK may play an important role in inducing apoptosis of neutrophils, mononuclear cells, and fibroblasts during skin wound healing and meanwhile, p-p38MAPK may be a potentially useful marker for wound age determination.
Zhang
Jian-jun
JJ
School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China. blackpet@126.com
Guan
Da-wei
DW
Yang
Da-li
DL
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011897:Random Allocation; D012867:Skin / Q000293:injuries* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases