0042. Burn injury stabilises extracellular atp and induces microvesicle production in skin

Introduction Microvesicles (MVs) are subcellular membrane-enclosed particles released from activated or dying cells with multiple functions, including induction of inflammation. A role for MVs has been indicated in sepsisand traumarelated systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), but their production and function in severe burns injury is unknown. Extracellular ATP released from mechanically injured cells is an important stimulus for MV production [1], but this response is usually limited spatially as well as temporally by the rapid breakdown of extracellular ATP by ectoATPases. Due to the known sensitivity of ectoATPases to thermal inactivation [2], we hypothesised that ATP released during thermal injury would be stable and capable of inducing MVs from viable responder cells within the burn tissue microenvironment.