Background: Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) may be functionally altered by ethanol exposure at the time of burn injury. This study aimed to evaluate whether acute ethanol intoxication at the time of major burn injury alters the cytokine secretion profile of adipose-derived stem cells involved in wound healing.

Methods: Adipose tissue was collected from adult patients with severe burn injuries at the index operation (n=26). ADSCs were extracted and cultured in vitro. Supernatants were harvested 30 hours after plating and used for cytokine determinations by multiplex cytokine assay. Fluorescence activated single cell sorting (FACS) confirmed their phenotype with markers CD 90, CD 166, and CD 73. Univariate analyses compared patients with ethanol intoxication (n=15) to those without (n=11) at time of injury.

Results: Average blood ethanol concentrations on arrival were 121 +/- 41.7 mg/dL. predominant sample being male (23/26) and African American (15/26). The analyte assay demonstrated a significant decrease noted of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 in patients with elevated blood ethanol content (p = 0.04). No significant differences in supernatant concentrations of IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha and IL-13 were observed (p>0.05).

Conclusion: The results from this study suggest that ethanol intoxication at the time of major burn injury alters the profile of paracrine factors secreted from ADSCs. FGF-2 is integral to the wound healing process as it contributes to smooth muscle cell growth, wound healing, and cell migration. These results suggest further studies may be warranted to investigate FGF-2 as a target for future therapies or interventions.