Wound healing and T-lymphocytes

• Published in: The Journal of surgical research Vol. 48; no. 5; pp. 460 - 463
• Main Authors: Efron, Jonathan E., Frankel, Heidi L., Lazarou, Spiro A., Wasserkrug, Hannah L., Barbul, Adrian
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.05.1990; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Biological and medical sciences; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; T-Lymphocytes - physiology; Time Factors; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Wound Healing - physiology; Treatment; Pathophysiology; Animal; Immunotherapy; T-Lymphocyte; Cytotoxicity; Skin; Monoclonal antibody; Cicatrization; Wound; Trauma
• ISSN: 0022-4804; 1095-8673
• DOI: 10.1016/0022-4804(90)90013-R

T-cell depletion leads to impaired wound healing. We studied the effect of combined T-helper and T-suppressor lymphocyte depletion on wound healing and compared it with the effect of all T-cell depletion. Groups of 10 male balb/c mice, 8 weeks old, underwent a 2.5-cm skin incision and subcutaneous implantation of polyvinyl alcohol sponges. Twenty-four hours prior to wounding one group was treated with 30H12, a rat anti-mouse monoclonal antibody against the Thy-1.2 antigen present on all T-cells (1 mg); another group received 1 mg each of GK1.5 (anti-L3T4, CD4; anti-helper/effector subset) and 2.43 (anti-Lyt 2.1, CD8; anti-suppressor/cytotoxic subset). All monoclonal antibodies are cytotoxic in vivo. Controls received 1 mg of nonspecific rat IgG. Treatments were repeated weekly. Animals were sacrificed at 2 and 4 weeks postwounding. Equal depletion of all T- and Th- and Tssubsets in peripheral blood and spleens was noted in the two experimental groups at sacrifice. Depleting Thy-1.2 cells (all T-cells) impaired wound healing as assessed by wound breaking strength and collagen synthesis. Combined anti-T-helper/effector and T-suppressor/cytotoxic depletion resulted in improved wound-healing parameters. This suggests that there is a Thy-1.2 +, L2T4 −, Lyt2 subpopulation of T lymphocytes which normally stimulates wound healing.