The Type IV Collagenase Inhibitor, BiPS, Alters Keratin Expression in Sulfur Mustard Exposed Mouse Skin
Authors: Chang Yoke‐Chen , Peng Tracy , Hahn Rita A , Gordon Marion K , Gerecke Donald R 
Published: June 2021

Sulfur mustard (SM) is a potent chemical vesicant targeting many tissues including skin. The SM induced cutaneous toxicity is associated with edema, epidermal erosions, inflammation, and prolonged wound repair. Earlier studies have shown that overexpression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) degrades extracellular matrix proteins and leads to the separation of epidermis from dermis in skin exposed to SM. We have found that MMP9, a type IV collagenase, disrupts collagen IV (Col IV) a major component of the basement membrane (BM) zone in SM induced blisters. Col IV in the BM network has recently been reported to be a regulator of epidermal differentiation and keratin expression during wound repair. The type IV collagen (Col IV) BM network may regulate epidermal differentiation and keratin expression during development and wound repair. In this present study, we evaluated the MMP9 inhibitor BiPS [N‐hydroxy‐3‐phenyl‐2‐(4‐phenylbenzenesulfonamido) propanamide] in an epidermal wound healing model following SM exposure. Time course (24, 72, and 168 hrs post‐SM exposure) and compound evaluation studies (BiPS as a single pretreatment) were performed in a mouse ear vesicant model (MEVM) using histopathological changes, degree of hyperplasia and edema, and expression of type IV collagen, MMP9, keratin 10 (K10, differentiation marker), and keratin 6 (K6, wound‐inducible marker) for comparison. MMP9 mRNA and protein expression increased with time. Dual immunofluorescence studies using Col IV α1 and MMP9 antibodies showed BM zone breakdown of Col IV and apparent MMP9 expression in the epidermis and the adjacent dermal matrix of the SM injured skin. Dual immunofluorescent studies using K6 and K10 showed strong K6 and weak K10 expression in the hyperplastic epidermis. In the compound evaluation study, the BiPS pretreatment group demonstrated significant reduction in edema with 25% reduction of epidermal thickness, and improvement in overall tissue structure by 72 hr post‐SM exposure. mRNA expression of MMP9 was significantly downregulated in the BiPS treated group by 168 hr post exposure. Immunofluorescent studies showed that significant reduction of MMP9 expression in the skin and a continuous expression pattern of Col IV; similar to the unexposed control skin. Dual immunofluorescent studies show reduced K6 and increased K10 expression in hyperplastic epidermis when compared to SM treated samples. These results suggest that BiPS treatment may effectively improve BM integrity by the inhibition of MMP9 in SM exposed skin. This may in turn modulate the epidermal keratin expression and promote keratinocyte differentiation for wound repair. Targeting MMP9 for the restoration of BM may be an effective strategy for countering SM‐induced cutaneous injury.Support or Funding InformationGrant funding supported by ES005022, T32ES007148, and NIAMS U54AR055073.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.