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Cellular changes in denervated tissue during wound healing in a rat model
Author(s) -
A M Richards,
David Floyd,
Giorgio Terenghi,
DA McGrouther
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2133.1999.02908.x
Subject(s) - wound healing , medicine , pathology , groin , immunofluorescence , immunohistochemistry , macrophage , chemotaxis , cellular immunity , antibody , surgery , biology , immunology , immune system , receptor , in vitro , biochemistry
There is increasing evidence that innervation, possibly mediated via neuropeptides, promotes wound healing. This study presents data on the early cellular events during healing in denervated tissue. Free oblique groin flaps were raised on 25 adult Sprague–Dawley rats. Excisional wounds were placed within the flap and in two control sites, the contralateral inguinal region and the thorax. The absence of innervation in the free flap wounds was confirmed 10 days after surgery by indirect immunofluorescence with a pan‐neuronal marker. The cellular infiltrate of the wounds was analysed immunohistochemically with a panel of antibodies to rat macrophages and monocytes (ED1), rat B lymphocytes (CD45R) and T lymphocytes (CD2). The immunostained cellular infiltrate was quantified at 2, 4, 7 and 10 days postoperatively. Our results show that denervated wounds have a significantly lower macrophage and T‐lymphocyte count at day 4 of wound healing ( P < 0.05). Inflammatory cells, particularly macrophages, are known to play an important part in wound healing and their reduced chemotaxis in denervated tissue may be related to the observed delay in wound closure.