An immunohistochemical study on the expression of caspase-3 in the skin wound healing / 法医学杂志

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the expression of caspase-3 during skin wound healing and explore the applicability of caspase-3 to determination of wound age.@*METHODS@#The expression of caspase-3 were performed on 33 mice skin incised wounds at different posttraumatic intervals and 3 mice as control by immunohistochemical technique.@*RESULTS@#Expression of caspase-3 was detectable in polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) in the wound specimens aged 6 h. In the wound specimens aged from 12 h to 24 h after injury, caspase-3 was identified in a large number of infiltrating PMNs and part of mononuclear cells (MNCs). Afterwards, the MNCs and fibroblastic cells (FBCs) accounted in the most part of the caspase-3 positive cells. Morphometrically, the ratio of the number of the caspase-3 stained PMNs, MNCs and FBCs to total number of the cells in the wounds was evaluated and calculated. The ratio of the caspase-3 positive cells was low in the wound specimens aged from 0 h to 3 h (4.53 +/- 6.53)%, and maximized in the wound specimens aged 3 day (62.66 +/- 4.84)%. Thereafter, the ratio decreased and minimized in the specimens aged 14 day (21.56 +/- 4.54)%.@*CONCLUSION@#The results suggest that caspase-3 may play an important role in inducing neutrophil, macrophage and fibroblast apoptosis during skin wound healing. Furthermore, caspase-3 may be used as a marker for the wound age determination.