Effects of cerium nitrate bathing and prompt burn wound excision on IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels in burned rats

The physiopathological events following thermal injury are not limited to t he surface effects of heat but are also related to acute inflammatory react ions. Both tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6 ) are important mediators of the acute and severe inflammatory reaction in thermal injury. Surgical manipulation of the burn wound is known to prevent excessive release of cytokines. Cerium nitrate - a rare earth element - ha s been reported to have a protective effect against postburn immunosuppress ion. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of burn wound debride ment and treatment with cerium nitrate bathing on the serum levels of TNF-a lpha and IL-6 in rats. Treatment by cerium nitrate bathing prevented the el evation of TNF-alpha levels in the early period after thermal injury. The e xperimental study showed, as in other studies, that high levels of IL-6 app ear to inhibit TNF-alpha elevation. High levels of IL-6 and, as a result, r elatively low levels of TNF-alpha in the early period of thermal injury may limit the severity of the inflammatory reaction, which is caused by TNF, t he most potent inflammatory cytokine. Since similar levers of IL-6 and TNF- alpha were achieved by both cerium nitrate bathing and burn wound debrideme nt, cerium nitrate may be considered as equivalent to prompt excision of bu rn eschar. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.