Understanding the Impact of Reperfusion in the Development of a Safe Compression Therapy

The benefits of an intermittent compression therapy are known; however, in some circumstances, it results in soft-tissue injuries. This study aims to create a model for testing the safety, efficacy, and molecular mechanisms of a compression therapy, without creating an injury. Existing ischemia/reperfusion protocols were modified to apply repeated compression without forming a pressure ulcer. The skin of immobilized C57BL/6 male mice was pinched between two magnets (3 h, 2-3 days of recovery between treatments). Hair growth was stunted but started to regrow within 18 days. The application of pressure caused an increase in epidermal thickness (****p = 0.002), CD31+ total number (**p = 0.0021), and increased radial diffusion distance (*p = 0.0285). Pressure caused a reduction in adipocyte volume weight mean volume (****p < 0.0001) and CD34 volume fraction (*p = 0.0460). Stem cell populations (cytokeratin 15; p = 0.4992, CD34; p = 0.6873 and integrin α-6; p = 0.7752) were unaffected. Importantly, pressure did not increase markers of DNA damage (p53; p = 0.7524 and caspase 3; p = 0.0839), indicating that this compression model had limited negative effects on the tissue. The altered protocol successfully created a model to permit the analysis of uninjured skin after pressure is applied.