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Effects of low-level laser therapy on mast cell number and degranulation in third-degree burns of rats

Mohammad Bayat, PhD, et al.

Figure. Mean plus/minus standard error of the mean for types of mast cells and total number of them in 100 zones of burned skin in rats 30 days after burning.

Thermal burns are common among soldiers and veterans. They produce more severe physiological stresses than other forms of traumatic injuries. An estimated two million people suffer from burns in the United States each year. Mast cells may be important in wound healing because of their effect on collagen formation, vascular permeability, and angiogenesis. An increased number of mast cells is associated with a variety of pathological skin conditions in humans. Among these conditions are fibrotic disorders, including hypertrophic scars and keloids. The majority of scar reactions produce the appropriate volume of collagen to fill the dermal defect. Unfortunately, excessive scar formation is a common sequela of abnormal wound healing in burns and other traumatic and surgical injuries. These fibrotic lesions reportedly exhibit as much as 10 to 100 times more mast cells than normal human skin. However, the mechanism for either the proliferation or recruitment of mast cells in fibrotic lesions has not yet been elucidated

Volume 45 Number 6, 2008
   Pages 931 — 938

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