title: Third-degree hindpaw burn injury induced apoptosis of lumbar spinal cord ventral horn motor neurons and sciatic nerve and muscle atrophy in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Severe burns result in hypercatabolic state and concomitant muscle atrophy that persists for several months, thereby limiting patient recovery. However, the effects of burns on the corresponding spinal dermatome remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate whether burns induce apoptosis of spinal cord ventral horn motor neurons (VHMNs) and consequently cause skeletal muscle wasting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Third-degree hindpaw burn injury with 1% total body surface area (TBSA) rats were euthanized 4 and 8 weeks after burn injury. The apoptosis profiles in the ventral horns of the lumbar spinal cords, sciatic nerves, and gastrocnemius muscles were examined. The Schwann cells in the sciatic nerve were marked with S100. The gastrocnemius muscles were harvested to measure the denervation atrophy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The VHMNs apoptosis in the spinal cord was observed after inducing third-degree burns in the hindpaw. The S100 and TUNEL double-positive cells in the sciatic nerve increased significantly after the burn injury. Gastrocnemius muscle apoptosis and denervation atrophy area increased significantly after the burn injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Local hindpaw burn induces apoptosis in VHMNs and Schwann cells in sciatic nerve, which causes corresponding gastrocnemius muscle denervation atrophy. Our results provided an animal model to evaluate burn-induced muscle wasting, and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan ; Department of Anesthesia, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan ; Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Sheng-Hua
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan ; Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan ; Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan ; Center for Stem Cell Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shu-Hung
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2903-1703
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuang-I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chee-Yin
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.affiliation: Department and Graduate Institute of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jwu-Lai
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, Kaohsiung 80284, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tai-Cheng
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Medical Science, College of Health Sciences, Chang Jung Christian University, No. 1, Changda Road, Gueiren District, Tainan City 71101, Taiwan ; Innovative Research Center of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Chang Jung Christian University, No. 1, Changda Road, Gueiren District, Tainan City 71101, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Chiang
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6256-9521
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan ; Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan ; Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, 100 Tzyou 1st Road, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Aij-Lie
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Kwan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000870:Anterior Horn Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002056:Burns / Q000473:pathology*; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000473:pathology*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000473:pathology; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000473:pathology*; D066151:Spinal Cord Ventral Horn / Q000473:pathology*