IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON REGENERATION IN CULTURED EPIDERMAL AUTOGRAFTS USED TO TREAT FULL-THICKNESS BURN WOUNDS

The normal pattern of healing following culture grafting is not well-e stablished. The present study describes the immunohistochemcal express ion of differentiation markers during various stages of wound healing after resurfacing full-thickness burn wounds with cultured epidermal a utografts. For this purpose, biopsy specimens were obtained from six p atients 6 days to 4.5 years after transplantation, ii panel of monoclo nal antibodies was used against various differentiation-specific prote in markers, including cytokeratins, involucrin, transglutaminase and f ilaggrin. Findings from early and late biopsies were compared with sit e-matched normal skin and cultured epidermal sheets. The persistence o f cytokeratins 6 and 16, and to a lesser extent, the abnormal distribu tion of involucrin up to 4.5 years after resurfacing burns with cultur ed autografts was observed. These findings confirm previous studies-th at the newly formed epidermis after culture grafting remains in a hype rproliferative state for a long time, which may be caused by the absen ce of a modulating dermal factor. Our results suggest that keratinocyt e maturation following culture autografting does not return to normal for at least 4.5 years after healing of full-thickness burn wounds.