Expressions of apoptosis related proteins(Bax/Bcl-2) in epidermis of III-stage pressure ulcers

Objective To explore the effect of apoptosis and tissue restoration in pressure ulcers, we investigated protein contents of  Bax/Bcl-2 in normal skin tissue, wound-edge tissue and wound-centre tissue of III-stage pressure ulcers and to study their effects on ulcer formation.

Method   After the patients’informed consent, 8 cases of III-stage pressure ulcers were detected to compare the expression and distribution of Bax/Bcl-2 protein with  normal pathological methods and immunohistochemistry methods. The normal skin tissue, ulcer edge tissue and ulcer centre tissue were contained in each cases and detected separately.

Result  Positive signals of Bax/Bcl-2 were found in normal skins. Bax protein were rarely found to be located in the epidermal cells; Bcl-2 could be detected in epidermal cells and some fibroblasts. In the centre of ulcer tissue, Bax positive granules were detected in epidermal cells and fibroblast,while Bcl-2 only existed in cytoplasm of epidermal basal cells. From the  edge to the centre of the ulcer tissue, the content of Bax protein increased  progressively, while the Bcl-2 expression decreased gradually.

Conclusion  The different expression and distribution of Bax/Bcl-2 in III-stage pressure ulcers tissue might be associated with mechanism controlling cell apoptosis which lead to ulcer formation.