Immunohistochemical analysis on aquaporin-1 and -3 in skin wounds from the aspects of wound age determination

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K09274
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Legal medicine
• Research Institution: Wakayama Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Furukawa Fukumi 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 博士研究員 (40156964)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 石田 裕子 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (10364077)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 受傷後経過時間

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A total of 55 human skin wounds of different postinfliction intervals were collected as follows: group I, 0-3 days (n=16); II, 4-7 days (n=11); III, 9-14 days (n=16); and IV, 17-21 days (n=12). The percentage of AQP1+ vessels and the number of AQP3+ keratinocytes were apparently elevated in accordance with wound ages. The number of AQP3+ keratinocytes was distinctly evident in groups II and III. Morphometrically, both AQP1+ vessel area and AQP3+ cell number were markedly increased in group II, compared with other three groups. With regard to forensic safety, AQP1+ vessel area of over 5% would imply wound ages of 4-12 days. Moreover, the positive area of >15% would suggest wound age of 7-10 days. Especially, most samples of skin wounds aged 5-10 days except for only one sample (a 10-day-old wound) showed AQP3+ cell number of >300, and the remaining other samples had that of <300. Thus, the AQP3+ cell number of > 300 would indicate wound ages of 5-10 days.

Free Research Field

実験病理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

法医学で取り扱う事例では受傷に至る以前の身体的情報や受傷の過程，さらに受傷後の状況など全ての情報が乏しい，あるいは完全に欠如している場合も少なくない．そのような状況下でも精度の高い診断を行うためには，基本的な診断学の知識に加えて，広く医科学全般の最新の知見を取り入れて常に診断法を進歩させなければならない．これまで受傷後経過時間判定のために，皮膚損傷治癒に関与する様々な細胞や分子（サイトカインや細胞増殖因子）の検索が行われてきた．本研究ではこれらの指標に加えて，近年注目を集めているアクアポリンが，受傷後経過時間判定の新規指標となることを示した．