Adenosine in burn blister fluid

Background: Burn wound blister fluid is known to sustain suppressive effects on various components of the immune system. Damaged tissues cause an increase of adenosine concentrations. Since adenosine is a potent anti-inflammatory agent we hypothesized that burn blister fluid contains high concentrations of this nucleoside. Methods: Burn blister fluid was drawn from eleven patients who suffered a second degree burn injury. Adenosine concentrations were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: Elevated adenosine levels were detected in 6 of the 11 patients (54.5%), with an overall mean of 1.13 ± 0.52 mM. Conclusions: This is the first documented data showing increased concentrations of adenosine in burn blister fluid.