Shockwave Therapy Promotes Healing and Reduces Inflammation in Severe Burn Wounds
Authors: Thomas A Davis, Alexander Stojadinovic, Khairul Anam, Mihret Amare, Shruti Naik, George E Peoples, Douglas Tadaki, Eric A Elster
Summary:
A recent study explored the effects of shockwave therapy, also known as extracorporeal shock wave treatment (ESWT), on the healing of severe burn wounds. The researchers aimed to understand how ESWT influences the early inflammatory response in these wounds. They conducted experiments using a mouse model of full-thickness burn wounds, which are highly inflammatory and challenging to heal.
The results of the study demonstrated that ESWT, when applied to burn wounds just one hour after injury, had significant positive effects. It reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells like neutrophils and macrophages into the wound. Additionally, ESWT showed powerful effects in reducing the expression of certain chemokines (CC and CXC), which are molecules that attract immune cells to the site of injury. It also decreased the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, which are signaling molecules involved in inflammation. Furthermore, ESWT decreased the activity of enzymes that break down the extracellular matrix, a key component in tissue repair.
Based on these findings and the clinical success of ESWT in promoting wound healing, the researchers suggest that this therapy could be a promising approach to treat severe wounds with excessive inflammatory responses. By dampening the inflammatory process and reducing levels of inflammatory cells, cytokines, and proteases, ESWT may allow the normal physiological repair processes to take over and facilitate the healing of severe wounds.