Correlation between interleukin‐6 and matrix metalloproteinase‐9 in early wound healing in children

Interleukin-6 and matrix metalloproteinase–9 concentrations in the wound fluid and their associations to cellular changes were determined in early wound healing. Wound healing of 75 children who underwent elective operations was studied with the Cellstick® device, which was inserted into the wound at the end of the operation and removed 3 or 24 hours post-wounding. Differential counts of the wound cells and interleukin-6 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 concentrations in the wound fluid were analyzed. Interleukin-6 and the matrix metalloproteinase-9 concentrations increased in parallel (r = 0.81). The proportion of wound neutrophils increased (p < 0.0001) and lymphocytes decreased (p < 0.0001) between the observation times. The number of wound neutrophils had a strong correlation with both interleukin-6 (adjusted R2 = 0.41, p < 0.0001) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 concentrations (adjusted R2 = 0.37, p < 0.0001). The extracellular matrix degradation process of the early wound healing seems to be closely linked to the inflammatory response. Both of these measured markers are associated significantly with the neutrophil proportion in the wound.