Protective Role of Plastoquinone in the Early Stages of Second-Degree Thermal Skin Burn

Abstract

Thermal burns of the skin are associated not only with local tissue alterations but also with the development of systemic disorders, which promote generalization of inflammatory processes. In particular, burn injury leads to an overproduction of reactive oxygen species, activation of free-radical oxidation, and lipid peroxidation. This study investigated the protective role of plastoquinone, a natural plant antioxidant, on the morphological condition of the skin and on the shape and aggregation of erythrocytes in rats with second-degree thermal burns. Thermal burn resulted in the decrease in epidermis thickness, increase in the number of hyperemic vessels, damaged hair follicles and sebaceous glands. Application of plastoquinone, incorporated into liposomes, onto the damaged skin had a protective effect on the skin structures; in the case of liposomes applied without plastoquinone, the protective effect was less pronounced. In addition, thermal burn altered the state of erythrocytes, leading to their deformation and aggregation. Plastoquinone in liposomes applied topically or administered intravenously showed a protective effect on erythrocytes comparable to that of ubiquinone, preventing the development of burn-induced erythrocyte shape alterations. However, only plastoquinone administered intravenously completely prevented erythrocyte aggregation, thus eliminating negative effects of the burn injury on the functional activity of erythrocytes, indicating the potential of plant-derived plastoquinone as an effective agent in burn injury management.