| Objective: Hypertrophic scar(HS) is quite difficult to heal for the mechanism of formation has not been well understood.Now,lots of research showed that traditional Chinese medicine with activating blood circulation to dissipate blood stasis could enhance HS softening and thinning. Carthamus tinctorius is an important representative medicine of traditional Chinese medicine with activating blood circulation to dissipate blood stasis.The experiment intented to investigate the effect of carthamus tinctorius on thickness,hardness, the epidermal cell's layer, hypodermal fibroblastic density, expressions of transforming growth factor-β1(TGFβ1) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in HS of rabbit's ears through injecting into HS with carthamus tinctorius,and demonstrate the possible molecular biology mechanism that carthamus tinctorius inhibites HS of rabbit's ear.Methods: 27 New Zealand rabbits were chosen as experimental animals. The models of HS were established on the rabbit's ears , and two masses of HS in each ear. The HS of a rabbit were divided into 4 groups(group positive control,group sodium chloride,group carthamus tinctorius(125g/L)and group carthamus tinctorius(500g/L)). On the 45th day after operation, the HS of a rabbit were injected with nothing, sodium chloride and two kinds concentration of carthamus tinctorius respectively. The theatment was done once a week in the next 4 weeks. The thickness and hardness of HS and skin were measured respectively by SEQULA512 color ultrasonograph and hardness machine on the 45th day after operation and the 2nd,4th,6th week after injection. The HS and skins of 8 rabbits that were chosen randomly were harvested and detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining(HE) , mallory staining, SP immunohistochemical method and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) on the 2nd , 4th and 6th week after injection.Results: (1) The thickness and hardness in each HS group were both depressed gradually on the 2nd,4th and 6th week after injection. The thickness and hardness in group carthamus tinctorius(500g/L)were the lowest in all HS groups on the 4th and 6th week after injection(P<0.05). (2) HE and mallory staining showed that the epidermal cell's layeres and hypodermal fibroblastic densities in each HS group were both decreased gradually on the 2nd,4th and 6th week after injection. The epidermal cell's layeres and hypodermal fibroblastic densities in group carthamus tinctorius (500g/L)were the lowest in all HS groups on the 4th and 6th week after injection(P<0.05). The collagen fiber became parallel gradually and low-density in group carthamus tinctorius ( 500g/L ) ,disorder and hight-density persistently of the collagen fiber was found in the other three HS groups on the 2nd,4th and 6th week after injection. (3) The area densities and mean optical densities of TGFβ1 and CTGF protein in each HS group were both decreased gradually on the 2nd,4th and 6th week after injection. The area densities and mean optical densities of TGFβ1 and CTGF protein in group carthamus tinctorius(500g/L)were the lowest in all HS groups at the same time(P<0.05). The mean optical density of TGFβ1 protein ,the area density and mean optical density of CTGF protein in group carthamus tinctorius(125g/L)were lower than group positive control and sodium chloride on the 2nd,4th and 6th week after injection(P<0.05). (4) The expressions of TGFβ1-mRNA and CTGF-mRNA in group carthamus tinctorius (125g/L) and carthamus tinctorius (500g/L)were decreased gradually on the 2nd,4th and 6th week after injection. The expressions of TGFβ1-mRNA and CTGF-mRNA in group carthamus tinctorius(500g/L) were both the lowest in all HS groups at the same time (P<0.05). The expression of TGFβ1-mRNA in group carthamus tinctorius (125g/L) degraded than group positive control and sodium chloride on the 4th and 6th week after injection(P<0.05). The expression of CTGF-mRNA in group carthamus tinctorius(125g/L)reduced compared with group positive control and sodium chloride on the 2nd,4th and 6th week after injection(P<0.05).Conclusions: (1) Carthamus tinctorius(500g/L) could enhance HS of rabbit's ear softening,thinning,decrease the epidermal cell's layer and hypodermal fibroblastic density, increase the collagen fiber parallel and degrade its density. Carthamus tinctorius(125g/L) had not all the effect.(2) Both of carthamus tinctorius (125g/L) and carthamus tinctorius(500g/L) could inhibit the expressions of TGFβ1 and CTGF,and the effect of carthamus tinctorius(500g/L) was better than that of carthamus tinctorius(125g/L). (3) The appearance and common tissue structure in HS of rabbit's ear were coincident with the expression of TGFβ1 and CTGF. (4) The mechanism that HS of rabbit's ear was inhibited was correlative possibly to which the expressions of TGFβ1 and CTGF was inhibited by carthamus tinctorius. (5) It suggested TGFβ1 was synergism possibly with CTGF that the expressions of TGFβ1 and CTGF were inhibited at the same time. |
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