Effects of hyperbaric oxygen on the levels of high mobility group protein B1 and neutrophil elastase in rats after skin flap transplantation

Objective To explore the effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) on inflammatory reactions induced by ischemia-reperfusion lesion in rats following skin flap transplantation.Methods Forty SpragueDawley rats were randomly divided into 5 different groups:the sham group,the ischemia-reperfusion (IR) 3-day group (or the IR 3-day group),the IR 5-day group,the HBO 3-day group and the HBO 5-day group.Abdominal pedicle skin flap model was established and the animals were treated with HBO.Levels of neutrophil elastase(NE) and high mobility group B 1 (HMGB1) in the animals of all the groups were detected by ELLSA.Results NE levels of the IR 3-day group and the IR 5-d group were obviously higher than that of the sham group (P ＜0.01),and following HBO treatment,NE levels of the 3-day and 5-day groups were significantly lower than that of the corresponding ischemia-reperfusion group(P ＜ 0.05).HMGB1 levels of the IR 3-day and 5-day groups were obviously higher than that of the sham group(P ＜ 0.01).HMGB1 level of the HBO 3-day group was significantly lower than that of the corresponding ischemia-reperfusion group (P ＜ 0.01),and HMGB1 level of the HBO 5-day group was lower than that of the corresponding ischemia-reperfusion group(P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions HBO treatment could obviously down-regulate the serum levels of NE and HMGB1,alleviate inflammatory reactions induced by ischemia-reperfusion lesion and increase survival rate of skin flaps in rats following skin flap transplantation. Key words: Hyperbaric oxygen;  Skin flap;  Neutrophil elastase;  High mobility group B1