Delayed wound healing in aged skin rat models after thermal injury is associated with an increased MMP-9, K6 and CD44 expression.
Age-related differences in wound healing have been documented but little is known about the wound healing mechanism after burns. Our aim was to compare histological features and immunohistochemical expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), collagen IV, K6 and CD44 in the burn wound healing process in aged and young rats. Following burns the appearance of the wound bed in aged rats had progressed but slowly, resulting in a delayed healing process compared to the young rats. At 21 days after injury, epithelial K6, MMP-9 and CD44 expression was significantly increased in aged rats with respect to young rats; moreover, in the aged rat group we observed a not fully reconstituted basement membrane. K6, MMP-9 and CD44 expression was significantly increased in wounded skin compared to unwounded skin both in young and aged rats. We hypothesise that delayed burn skin wound healing process in the aged rats may represent an age dependent response to injury where K6, MMP-9 and CD44 play a key role. It is therefore possible to suggest that these factors contribute to the delayed wound healing in aged skin and that modulation could lead to a better and faster recovery of skin damage in elderly.
Oriana
O
Simonetti
Department of Dermatology, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy. o.simonetti@univpm.it
Simonetti
S
Oriana
Guendalina
G
Lucarini
Lucarini
L
Guendalina
Oscar
O
Cirioni
Cirioni
C
Oscar
Antonio
A
Zizzi
Zizzi
Z
Antonio
Fiorenza
F
Orlando
Orlando
O
Fiorenza
Mauro
M
Provinciali
Provinciali
P
Mauro
Roberto
R
Di Primio
Di Primio
DP
Roberto
Andrea
A
Giacometti
Giacometti
G
Andrea
Annamaria
A
Offidani
Offidani
O
Annamaria
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000378:metabolism*; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; C027537:K6-antigen; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D003094:Collagen; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9