earticle

영어

Acidic water is known to inactivate microbes, fungus, viruses, toxins, is used for disinfecting food equipments, vegetables, fruits, poultry and meat. Some studies were also done to show its effect in wound healing. However, the mechanism is not fully understood. This study aimed to unravel the mechanism behind the wound healing effect of strong electrolyzed acidic water (SEAW). The study was conducted to identify the effect of SEAW on cutaneous wounds using a punch removing 5mm skin plug resulting in elliptical wound (Disposable Biopsy Punch, Integra-Miltex, PA, USA). SEAW was generated from a device (HDR Co. Bucheon, Korea), with characteristics of having pH from 5.0 to 6.5, ORP around 800 mV and chlorine concentration of 10 to 30 mg/L. SEAW was sprayed daily for 7 days to the cutaneous wounds of hairless mice and was compared to other treatments such as saline, alcohol and betadine treated groups. Wound areas were measured and digital photographs were conducted daily. Serum and skin lysate were collected on the seventh day, thereafter, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) assays, oxidative stress assays, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expressions were analyzed. The results showed that among all groups, SEAW had the highest wound size reduction especially on day 4. ROS in serum was significantly lower than other groups and ROS in skin lysate was lower and comparable to the positive control groups. SEAW has the highest NO activity among all groups which may mean that SEAW can have the most significant action on remodelling stage through the production of NO, and through phagocytosis. Consistently, antioxidant assays of skin lysate shows that GPx, Catalase and MPO activities group treated with SEAW compensate the total ROS in skin. Immunoblotting of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP1 and MMP9), the enzymes responsible for extracellular matrix degradation, were also upregulated in SEAW treated group. Collectively, it is shown that comparable to potent medicine in wound healing such as betadine and alcohol, strong acidic water is similarly effective in wound healing and is shown to act through the immune defense and upregulation of enzymes such as MMPs. However, more studies are still need to be done to confirm these mechanisms.