Changes of the interleukin-6 levels in skin at different sites after thermal injury
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Updated: Oct 29, 2026

Separation of Rat Epidermis and Dermis with Thermolysin to Detect Site-Specific Inflammatory mRNA and Protein
Published on: September 29, 2021
1Department of Traumatology and Critical Care Medicine, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan. kawakami@ndmc.ac.jp
Objective:
To delineate the regulation of IL-6 production in unburned skin adjacent to a burn in an animal model.
Methods:
In C57BL/6 mice, at 15, 30, and 60 minutes after a 20% full-thickness burn, skin was removed from various sites. Control samples were obtained from unburned mice. Normal skins were incubated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1alpha), IL-1 beta, and IL-6. Unburned skin specimens were incubated with anti-TNF-alpha and IL-1alpha antibodies. Cytokine levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results:
The burn increased the IL-6 levels at 30 minutes (p < 0.05) and the IL-1alpha levels at 15 and 60 minutes in the unburned skin. TNF-alpha, IL-1alpha, and IL-1beta increased IL-6 production in normal skin (p < 0.05). Anti-IL-1alpha antibody decreased IL-6 production in the unburned skin (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
IL-1alpha modulates IL-6 production in unburned skin after injury. IL-6 and IL-1alpha might contribute to the alterations after a burn.
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