Interleukin-8 levels and activity in delayed-healing human thermal wounds

• Published in: Wound repair and regeneration 2000-05, Vol.8 (3), p.216-225
• Main Authors: Iocono, Joseph A, Colleran, Kevin R, Remick, Daniel G, Gillespie, Brenda W, Ehrlich, H. Paul, Garner, Warren L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Burns - physiopathology; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidermis - cytology; Humans; Indomethacin - pharmacology; Interleukin-8 - analysis; Keratinocytes; Myosin Light Chains; Phosphorylation; Time Factors; Wound Healing - physiology
• ISSN: 1067-1927; 1524-475X
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1524-475x.2000.00216.x

There are numerous causes for slow or delayed wound healing. Because slowly healing wounds are often inflamed, we quantitated the inflammatory chemokine, interleukin‐8, produced by slowly healing human burn wounds and compared this to interleukin‐8 from healed wounds and normal intact skin. Interleukin‐8 levels were increased significantly in unhealed wounds (19.7 ng/ml) compared to healed wounds (7.7 ng/ml) or normal skin (5.7 ng/ml). Interleukin‐8 in these ranges was added to adult human keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Interleukin‐8 significantly decreased keratinocyte replication but had no effect on fibroblast replication. The rate or final degree of fibroblast populated collagen lattice contraction was inhibited at interleukin‐8 concentrations between 10 and 30 ng/ml, but not altered at concentrations below 10 ng/ml and above 100 ng/ml. The concurrent application of indomethacin at 10 μg/ml reversed this interleukin‐8 induced inhibition. Interleukin‐8 inhibited myosin ATPase activity, apparently by reducing the phosphorylation of nonmuscle myosin light chain. We conclude that elevated levels of interleukin‐8 may be found during delayed healing, and these elevated interleukin‐8 levels may directly contribute to retarded wound closure.