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[Microwave heating modulation of skin fibrosis in chronic extremity lymphedema]
1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200011, China.
Objective:
To observe the effects of microwave heating on skin fibrosis in chronic extremity lymphedema.
Methods:
Skin specimens from 8 cases of chronic limb lymphedema were tested by in situ hybridization (ISH) combined with avidin-biotin peroxidase (ABC) immunohistochemistry for detection of TGF-beta, procollagen I, procollagen III mRNAs and corresponding peptides expressions.
Results:
It was discovered that expressions of TGF-beta 1 peptide were located at the spinous and granular layer of the epidermal cells with a great amount of dermal collagen I, III formation in accordance with high expressions of TGF-beta, procollagen I, procollagen III mRNAs in the dermal and subcutaneous tissue fibroblasts. After microwave heating treatment, the epidermal expression of TGF-beta 1 and relative TGF-beta, procollagen I, procollagen III mRNAs expressions in dermal fibroblasts were greatly reduced. The smaller calibre of collagen fibers after microwave heating was also observed.
Conclusions:
It is indicated that fibrosis in lymphedema is resulted from overexpressions of relevant genes like TGF-beta and subsequent extracellular matrixes (ECM) syntheses and deposition. Microwave heating can reduce fibroblast expressions of TGF-beta, procollagen I, procollagen III mRNAs as well as TGF-beta peptide synthesis, inhibiting ECM syntheses and deposition and finally reverse the skin fibrosis process.