APOPTOSIS OF HAIR FOLLICLE CELLS IN THE 2ND-DEGREE BURN WOUND UNDER HYPERNATREMIC CONDITIONS

Progressive burn wound necrosis is an important factor as a cause of d elayed healing during clinical therapy of burns. Among the causes of p rogressive necrosis have been attributed an insufficient blood supply or a dehydration at the zone of stasis just beneath the zone of coagul ation. In a previous study evidence was presented that hypernatremia, an osmotic injury, may act to promote progressive tissue or cell death of the superficial dermal wound resulting from a heat injury. To test this hypothesis pathological features of cell death in the second-deg ree burn wound in the rat with hypernatremia were investigated and evi dence for apoptosis in hair follicle cells was observed. Rats in the h ypernatremic group were administered 10 ml of hypertonic sodium soluti on (850 meq l(-1)) and the control rats were treated with 10 mi of hyp onatremic solution (100 meq l(-1)) to prevent hypernatremia. After 24 h postburn the average incidence of hair follicles (ratio to the norma l skin) in the hypernatremic group was 30.1 +/- 11.6 per cent and sign ificantly lower when compared with the control group (87.6 +/- 6.0 per cent). The numbers of hair follicles were studied by haematoxylin and eosin stain, and the apoptotic process was investigated by an immunoch emical assay and electron microscopy. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd fo r ISBI, All rights reserved.