title: Autologous fat grafting alleviates burn-induced neuropathic pain in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The management of neuropathic pain after burn injury is a critical clinical issue. Autologous fat grafting has been shown to alleviate neuropathic pain in certain cases, but has not been shown to alleviate the pain associated with burn-induced scars. The authors assessed the effectiveness of autologous fat grafting for the management of pain in burn-induced scars.
  
  
  METHODS
  One paw of the experimental rats received a third-degree burn using a heated metal block. Neuropathic pain in the affected paw was assessed based on behavioral responses to thermal and mechanical stimuli. A graft (0.4 ml of autologous fat or a sham graft) was administered by injection to the burn scar and sham-burned paw. The animals were killed 4 weeks after the fat graft treatments; Masson trichrome stain of hind-paw skin and expression of phosphorylated p38 and OX42 in the dorsal horns of the spinal cords were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The third-degree burns were completely healed at 4 weeks. Burn-induced scarring caused mechanical allodynia and increased the expression of phosphorylated p38 and OX42 in spinal cord dorsal horn microglial cells. Autologous fat grafting significantly alleviated mechanical allodynia (p < 0.05), and immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of phosphorylated p38 and OX42 was significantly lower in spinal cord dorsal horn microglial cells 4 weeks after fat grafting (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Autologous fat grafting is used daily in clinical practice. It is an effective treatment for the relief of burn-induced mechanical allodynia in rats. Further investigation of the clinical use of autologous fat grafting in burn patients is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Kaohsiung, Taiwan From the Graduate Institute of Medicine, the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, and the Department and Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University; the Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University; and the Department of Anesthesia, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University.
authors.forename: Shu-Hung
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Sheng-Hua
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Kao-Ping
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Kuang-I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Su-Shin
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Aij-Lie
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Kwan
authors.forename: Jwu-Lai
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Hung-Pei
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Sin-Daw
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chung-Sheng
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lai
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000601:surgery*; D000818:Animals; D064592:Autografts; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D017628:Microglia / Q000502:physiology; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley