Simplification of antigenic structure of burned human skin compared with normal skin

Abstract

By comparative immunochemical analysis using various modifications of the agar diffusion method, the following results were obtained: 1) in burned human skin (burn scab) additional antigens differing qualitatively from those of normal skin are found; 2) organ-specific antigens present in normal human skin are lost (antigenic simplification). Investigations using L. A. Zil'ber's anaphylaxis with desensitization test and serological methods have yielded results indicating that burned and normal skin are not antigenically identical [5,[7][8][9] 11]. Immunechemical investigations [4] have demonstrated the presence of additional antigens in burned human skin compared with normal skin.Thermal denaturation modifies the antigenic properties of autoglobulins [10], and heating proteins reduces their antigenic activity [6]. It can therefore be postulated that, as a result of thermal denaturation, not only do additional antigenic components appear in the burn scab, but some of the antigens present in normal human skin disappear.