Impaired intestinal cell proliferation parallels increased senescence after burn injury in aged mice

The global population is aging, with one in six people projected to be 65 yr or older by 2050. Since people aged 65 and older experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality after burn injury, there is an increased need to develop effective burn treatments in this age group. Heightened morbidity and risk of mortality may stem from increased gut leakiness and death of intestinal epithelial cells of aged individuals. Herein, we used our clinically relevant model of scald burn injury in young and aged mice to ascertain whether the colon, isolated colonic epithelium, and organoids grown from the colon have deficiencies in cell growth, senescence, and apoptosis pathways. Aged, burn-injured mice displayed increased senescence marker <i>cdkn2a</i> in the colon and isolated epithelium, and displayed a reduction in proliferation marker <i>cdk4</i> in the colon when compared with young mice. Changes in senescence and proliferation coincided with a reduction in stem cell marker <i>lgr5</i> in the colon and colonic epithelium, suggesting a burn-related reduction in the stemness of the epithelial crypt. Although we failed to see histological changes in the colonic epithelium, we observed an increase in proapoptotic cleaved caspase 3 and 9 within the colons of aged, burn-injured mice. Finally, there was a decrease in the expression of antimicrobial peptide <i>ang4</i>, and not <i>camp</i> in the colons of aged, burn-injured mice. Taken together, these data suggest that in the colon, disruption of proliferation and apoptosis in aged burn-injured mice occurs primarily in the nonepithelial compartment.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Aged mice have more senescent cells in their colons and burn injury in aged mice leads to suppression of proliferation markers in the colon, but not in epithelial cells or cultured organoids. Colonic expression of stem cell marker <i>lgr5</i> is reduced in colon from aged, burn-injured mice, and a proapoptotic caspase cascade was seen in this cohort. Finally, antimicrobial peptide <i>ang4</i> expression is decreased in colons from both aged and aged, burn-injured mice.