Local administration of L-Arginine accelerates wound closure

The process of wound healing involves tightly integrated events including inflammation, granulation tissue formation and remodeling. Systemic administration of L-arginine promotes wound healing but its global side effects are undesirable. To confine the action of L-arginine at the site of injury, we tested the effects of local administration of L-arginine on the healing of excisional wound in the rat. Full thickness excisional wounds were generated on the dorsum of adult male rats. The test wounds received 200 micro m or 400 micro m of L-arginine on day 3 and 5 post-wounding. Normal saline was injected into the sham wounds which were otherwise treated as the test wounds. Control wounds remained unmanipulated. The wound size was monitored daily by imaging. To determine the rate of wound closure, wound images were scanned and the rate of size reduction was analyzed and quantified by ScnImage software. The repaired tissues were harvested on day 12 post-wounding. The tissue sections were prepared and stained for microscopic examination. Wounds treated with L-arginine showed a significant increase in the rate of wound closure. The morphology of basal keratinocytes was altered, and the thickness of neoepidermis was markedly reduced in the wounds treated with L-arginine. Both tested dose of L-arginine were equally effective. Local administration of L-arginine accelerates wound closure and has profound effects on keratinocytes performance during the process of healing. Therefore, it can be potentially used for treatment of skin disorders, in particular, those characterized by hyperkeratosis

Maternal serum levels of transforming growth factor B1 [TGF-beta1] in normal and preeclamptic pregnancies

Successful pregnancy in allopregnant women depends upon the control of graft rejection mechanisms. It has been suggested that some immunosuppressive cytokines contribute to successful pregnancy and transplantation. Transforming growth factor beta [TGF-beta] exhibits potent immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory properties which might prolong graft survival. Recent studies suggest a role for TGF-beta in the generation of T-regulatory lymphocytes which preserves the tolerance to peripheral self antigens and may control the response to allogenic tissues and thereby promote the transplantation tolerance. Also, the function of TGF-beta in trophoblast differentiation and hypertension is reported. To evaluate the maternal serum TGF-pl level in normal allopregnant women and in pregnancies complicated by preeclampcia [PE]. Sixty one pregnant preeclamptic women [32 cases with severe and 29 with mild PE], 22 normotensive healthy pregnant, and 20 non-pregnant controls constituted the studied groups. The active form of TGF-beta in serum from all cases was investigated by indirect ELISA technique. The results showed that TGF-beta1 level was higher in all three pregnant groups as compared with the non-pregnant controls. No significant changes in serum levels of TGF-pl were found in PE as compared with the normal pregnancy. TGF-beta may function as a regulatory factor in fetal allograft survival during pregnancy, and TGF-beta1 does not have a pathophysiological role in PE