Studies on endothelial cells in response to burned skin extracts in vitro

Objective: To investigate the effects of normal and burned skin extracts on the function and structure of endothelial cells in vitro. Methods: Four gradient concentrations of extract from burned skin of both human and rat were used in the pulmonary vascular endothelial cell culture, repectively. The supernatants of the cell culture were tested for ET-1, NO and TNF-α. The morphological changes of the cultured cells were closely observed as well. Results: （1） A Significant elevation of ET-1,NO and TNF-α was observed in cells cultured with burned skin extracts as compared with sham and normal skin extract controls. （2）Significant structural alterations occured in the cells cultured with burned skin extracts in the concentrations of 1 000 μg/L and 2 500 μg/L. Conclusion: The culture of endothelial cells with burned skin extracts of both human and rat may lead to significant morphological changes in cultured cells and their increasing release of certain cytokines and molecules as well.