Differential Apoptosis in Mucosal and Dermal Wound Healing

Dermal and mucosal healing are mechanistically similar. However, scarring and closure rates are dramatically improved in mucosal healing, possibly due to differences in apoptosis. Apoptosis, nature's preprogrammed form of cell death, occurs via two major pathways, extrinsic and intrinsic, which intersect at caspase3 (Casp3) cleavage and activation. The purpose of this experiment was to identify the predominant pathways of apoptosis in mucosal and dermal wound healing. Wounds (1 mm biopsy punch) were made in the dorsal skin (=3) or tongue (=3) of female Balb/C mice aged 6 weeks. Wounds were harvested at 6 h, 24 h, day 3 (D3), D5, D7, and D10. RNA was isolated and analyzed using real time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Expression levels for genes in the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways were compared in dermal and mucosal wounds. Compared to mucosal healing, dermal wounds exhibited significantly higher expression of (at D5; <0.05), (at D5; <0.05), (at 24 h and D5; <0.05), (at 24 h; <0.05), (at 24 h, D5, and D7; <0.05), and (at 24 h; <0.05) and significantly lower gene expression of (at 24 h; <0.05). Our observations indicate differential execution of apoptosis in oral wound healing compared to skin. Expression patterns of key regulators of apoptosis in wound healing indicate that apoptosis occurs predominantly through the intrinsic pathway in the healing mucosa, but predominantly through the extrinsic pathway in the healing skin. The identification of differences in the apoptotic pathways in skin and mucosal wounds may allow the development of therapeutics to improve skin healing.