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Cytokine expression profile over time in burned mice
Celeste C Finnerty1, Rene Przkora, David N Herndon
1Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Hospital for Children, 815 Market Street, Galveston, TX 77550, USA. ccfinner@utmb.edu
Cytokine
|November 21, 2008
Summary
Severe burn injury triggers inflammation, increasing infection risk. This study details mouse cytokine responses, finding similarities to human burn patients, validating the mouse model for developing new burn treatments.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Translational Medicine
- Burn Injury Research
Background:
- Severe burn injuries provoke persistent inflammation, heightening susceptibility to infections, sepsis, and multi-organ failure.
- Understanding the inflammatory cascade in animal models is crucial for developing effective therapeutic interventions.
- Murine models are frequently used, necessitating a clear understanding of their inflammatory response compared to humans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the temporal serum cytokine expression profiles in a murine model of severe burn injury.
- To compare the cytokine response in burned mice with that of sham-treated mice and human burn patients.
- To validate the utility of the burned mouse model for preclinical research aimed at modulating post-burn inflammation.
Main Methods:
- Male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to a 35% Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) scald burn or sham procedure.
- Serum samples were collected at multiple time points post-injury (3h to 14 days) and analyzed for cytokine levels.
- Cytokine concentrations were measured using a multi-plex array assay, with comparisons drawn to human burn patient data.
Main Results:
- Burn injury significantly altered the expression of numerous cytokines, with increases in IL-6, IL-1beta, KC, G-CSF, TNF, IL-17, MIP-1alpha, RANTES, and GM-CSF.
- Decreased levels of IL-2, IL-3, and IL-5 were observed post-burn.
- A biphasic expression pattern was noted for IL-10, IFN-gamma, and IL-12p70. Crucially, 11 cytokine profiles showed similarity between burned mice and children, normalizing by post-burn day 14.
Conclusions:
- The temporal cytokine expression pattern in burned mice provides insight into the inflammatory pathogenesis following severe burn injury.
- The observed similarities in cytokine expression between mice and children validate the use of this murine model.
- This study confirms the burned mouse model's utility for developing therapeutic strategies to mitigate the detrimental post-burn inflammatory response.
