ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To explore the changes of collagen fibrosis in the vulva skin of SD rats with lichen simplex chronicus (LSC) after focused ultrasound therapy and explore the mechanism by which focused ultrasound reduces the recurrence of vulvar LSC.@*METHODS@#Fifty female SD rat models of vulvar LSC were established and randomly divided into the treatment group and the control group (=25) for treatment with focused ultrasound and sham treatment, respectively. Before and after the treatment, vulvar skin tissues were sampled to observe the pathological changes with HE staining and assess the density of collagen fibers using Masson staining. The ultrastructure of the collagen fibers in the superficial dermis was observed using transmission electron microscopy. The expressions of notch1 and c-fos in the vulvar tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.@*RESULTS@#After 4 weeks of focused ultrasound therapy, 16% (4/25) of the rats in the treatment group showed lesion progression to LSIL, 4% (1/25) still had LSC, and 80% (20/25) showed normal vulvar skin. In the control group, progression to LSIL occurred in 19 (76%) rats, 3 (12%) rats still showed LSC, and only 3 (12%) had normal vulvar skin. The difference in the cure rate differed significantly between the two groups ( < 0.05). The density of collagen fibers in the superficial dermis and the expressions of notch1 and c-fos in the vulvar skin were significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group ( < 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Focused ultrasound therapy can inhibit superficial collagen fibrosis of the dermis by lowering the expressions of notch1 and c-fos in the vulvar skin to reduce the recurrence of vulvar LSC in rats.
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Rats , Neurodermatitis , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Recurrence , Vulvar DiseasesABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the impact of focused ultrasound on expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α),vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mutant type p53 (mtp53) in vulvar skin of rat models with low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL). Methods: A total of 28 rat models with LSIL were established and randomly divided into treatment group and control group (each n=14). The rat models in treatment group were treated with focused ultrasound, while in control group only received sham irradiation (no power output from ultrasonic therapeutic instrument). Histological changes of vulvar skin in SD rats were observed 4 weeks later. The expression of HIF-1α, VEGF and mtp53 protein were detected using immunohistochemistry. Results: After 4 weeks of focused ultrasound irradiation/sham irradiation, there were 92.86% (13/14) rats return to normal in treatment group and 71.43% (10/14) rats progressed into high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) in control group. Compared with control group, HIF-1α, VEGF and mtp53 protein levels significantly decreased in treatment group (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Focused ultrasound treatment can improve the microenvironment of local vulvar tissue by decreasing the expression of HIF-1α, VEGF and mtp53 in vulvar skin, therefore can be used to treat LSIL safely and effectively in rat models.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To establish a SD rat model of vulvar squamous intraepithelial lesions.@*METHODS@#Seventy female SD rats were randomized into 4 groups, namely the blank control group (=10), mechanical irritation group (=10), acetone solution group (=10), and mechanical irritation with DMBA acetone solution group (=40, model group), and the corresponding treatments were administered 3 times a week for 14 weeks. The changes of the vulvar skin of the rats were observed regularly until the 18th week. The expression of mutant p53 (mtp53) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) proteins were detected using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting, and the expressions of mtp53 and VEGF mRNA were detected with qRT- PCR in the blank control group and model group.@*RESULTS@#No significant differences were found in the morphological or histopathological changes of the skin among the blank control group, mechanical irritation group and acetone solution group. In the model group, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) occurred in 28 rats (70%) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) in 11 rats (27.5%) at 14 weeks, with a success rate of 97.5% in inducing vulvar squamous intraepithelial lesions. Compared with the blank control group, the rats in the model group showed significantly increased expressions of mtp53 and VEGF at both the protein level ( < 0.05) and the mRNA level ( < 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#DMBA in acetone solution combined with mechanical irritation can induce vulvar squamous intraepithelial lesions in female SD rats.