title: Inhibition of c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling suppresses skin flap apoptosis in a rat ischemia and/or reperfusion model.
abstract: The goals of this study were to validate the role of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation in skin flap apoptosis in a rat model of abdomen skin ischemia and/or reperfusion (IR) and to compare the protective effect of SP600125 and hydrogen-rich saline in skin IR injury.
  
  
  
  Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups: one sham surgery group and four surgery groups. Before undergoing 3 h of IR management, the surgery groups were treated with normal saline (IR), dimethyl sulfoxide, SP600125 (SP), and hydrogen-rich saline (H). On the third postoperative day, blood perfusion of the flap was measured using Laser Doppler flowmeters. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe morphologic changes. Early apoptosis was observed using TdT-mediated dUTP-X nick end-labeling staining. pASK-1, pJNK, Bcl-2, and Bax were examined by immunodetection. Caspase-3 activity was also measured 24 h after reperfusion.
  
  
  
  Compared to the IR group and the dimethyl sulfoxide group, the SP group and the H group had larger skin flap survival area, more blood perfusion and lower levels of caspase-3 activity. The SP and the H groups had high expression levels of Bcl-2 and low expression levels of pASK-1 and pJNK. Bax was significantly decreased in the SP group. In addition, cell apoptosis was decreased in both the sham surgery and the H groups.
  
  
  
  IR-induced JNK phosphorylation was reduced by SP600125, indicating that JNK mediates the apoptosis pathways in rat skin. In the SP and the H groups, the apoptotic factors measured showed similar expression levels, indicating that JNK inhibition during IR may be associated with H-mediated protection against skin IR apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yifang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The Third People's Hospital of Qingdao City, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Dechang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Mingzi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China. Electronic address: wybenz@sina.com.
authors.forename: Youbin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China. Electronic address: xmma@bjut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xuemei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yunqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Pengxiang
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000873:Anthracenes / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000873:Anthracenes; D015415:Biomarkers; D020011:Protective Agents; C432165:pyrazolanthrone; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
keywords: Hydrogen; Ischemia/reperfusion; JNK; SP600125; Skin