Major
burn triggers immune dysfunction, which is associated with wound healing complications. Gamma-δ T-cells have been shown to be important in postburn
inflammation and wound healing; however, their
cytokine phenotype at the
burn wound site is unknown. C57BL/6 male mice were subjected to a major
burn (25% TBSA, third degree) or
sham treatment. At 3 hours, 3 days, and 7 days thereafter, skin samples were collected and subjected to
dispase and
trypsin digestion to isolate single cells. The cells were phenotyped and evaluated for
cytokine profiles by flow cytometry. Th1 cells were defined as
interferon (IFN)γ positive, Th2 cells were defined as
interleukin (IL)-10 positive, and Th17 cells were defined as
IL-17 positive. At 7 days after
burn a shift toward Th2 and Th17 positive T-cells at the
wound site was observed. Further analysis revealed that at 3-hour postinjury the percentage of γδ T-cells positive for IFNγ,
IL-10, and
IL-17 were comparable between
sham and
burn skin samples. At 3 days and 7 days postinjury the percentage of cells positive for each
cytokine increased; however, the increase was significantly greater for
IL-10 and
IL-17, as compared with IFNγ (ie, 9-20-fold vs 3-fold). Skin αβ T-cells preferentially produced IFNγ (~20%), which was unaffected by
burn injury. These data demonstrate that
burn wound γδ T-cells are activated for enhanced
cytokine production and display a shift toward a Th2 and/or Th17 phenotype. In contrast,
burn wound αβ T-cells were not activated for enhanced
cytokine production.