Inhibitors of thermally induced burn incidents – the examinations of the flammability, TGA, SAXS and SEM methods

The examinations of the skin flammability, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and thermogravimetric (TGA) investigations were all carried out in temperature sufficient for simulating a burn incident. Above methods were used to perform assessment of collagen molecular structure changes in conditions of thermal oxidative stress, whereas the scanning electron microscopy analysis (SEM) was used to illustrate skin surface changes. The changes were observed in the presence of active antioxidants such as L-ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate and hydrogel of orthosilicic acid H4SiO4 • n H2O. Presence of these modifiers of the burn process minimizes external effects of simulated burn incidents for model samples of animal skin and burn wound epidermis extracted from the patients. The examinations of the skin flammability were carried out with the limited oxygen index (LOI) method. In this study, synergy between orthosilicic acid and L-ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate into animal and human skin has been shown through an increase in LOI values. The treatment by means of L-ascorbic acid affects particular morphological changes in the skin which is visible in SEM method. Skin samples incubated in the solution of the 3.5 %, 5 % L-ascorbic acid, 7 % sodium ascorbate solutions and 7 % orthosilicic acid demonstrate the development of a structure resembling a coherent solid composite. SAXS gives structural information on the assembly of dermal collagen as well as the lamellar organization of stratum corneum (SC) lipids located in the outermost part of the epidermis. Using this technique, two lamellar phases with repeat distance of approximately 4.3 and 6 nm in the SC lipids domains were observed. Moreover, the diameter of the collagen fibrils were extracted. The observed differences in the values of these parameters allowed us to better understand the mechanism of modification of the surface of the burn affected skin and the influence of the modification on the process of skin regeneration.

Miejscowa oraz ogólna odpowiedź organizmu na oparzenie termiczne jest złożona. Nie tylko prowadzi do uszkodzenia skóry, ale wywołuje też głębokie długotrwałe zmiany w metabolizmie organizmu. Na podstawie wyznaczonego granicznego wskaźnika palności (LOI), wyników analizy termograwimetrycznej (TGA) i małokątowej dyfraktometrii rentgenowskiej (SAXS) oceniano zmiany zachodzące w strukturze kolagenu w warunkach stresu oksydacyjnego, a metodą skaningowej mikroskopii elektronowej (SEM) określano zmiany topografii powierzchni badanych próbek skóry. Modyfikowany aktywnymi przeciwutleniaczami, takimi jak: pochodne witaminy C (np. kwas L-askorbinowy, askorbinian sodu) oraz hydrożel kwasu ortokrzemowego H4SiO4 • n H2O. Kolagen wykazuje zwiększoną aktywność biochemiczną, a obecność niniejszych modyfikatorów procesu oparzeniowego minimalizuje zewnętrzne skutki symulowanych incydentów oparzeniowych.