The effect of topical agents on haematopoiesis following thermal injury: Studies on an animal model

Abstract

Several investigators have described ‘toxins’ in the serum of burned patients that result in systemic alterations and in an overall breakdown of host defences. One of these toxins isolated from the burn eschar resulted in 80 per cent mortality when injected into non-burned mice. However, if the eschar was pretreated with cerium before isolating the toxin, the mortality in the recipients decreased. This experiment suggested that the cerium neutralized the toxin. We have partially isolated from the serum of burned patients and mice a substance that inhibits erythroid colony formation in vitro. To test if cerium neutralized this erythroid inhibitor, we applied cerium or silver nitrate to the eschar of a mouse model of thermal injury. We found that neither agent altered the level of inhibitor or any of the granulocyte or erythroid parameters measured.