Oral Presentation AUS-oMicS 2025

Characterisation of Lipidomic Changes in Healing Burn Wound Tissue and Plasma (#8)

Monique J Ryan 1 2 , Edward Raby 3 , Dana Hicks 1 2 , Elaine Holmes 1 2 , Mark W Fear 4 , Fiona M Wood 3 4 , Luke Whiley 1 2
  1. Australian National Phenome Centre, Health Futures Institute, Harry Perkins Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
  2. Centre for Computational and Systems Medicine, Health Futures Institute, Harry Perkins Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
  3. State Adult Burns Unit, Fiona Stanley Hospital, South Metropolitan Health Service, Murdoch, Australia
  4. Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Murdoch

Burn injuries are significant traumatic events. Despite advances in burn management reducing mortality rates, burns can initiate both short- and long-term complications even when classified as non-severe (<15% total body surface area; TBSA).  Burn wounds, despite severity, frequently result in delayed wound closure, which puts the individual at risk of developing infections, scars or other systemic health issues. At present, the mechanisms that define poor wound healing and, therefore, prediction of patient outcomes are not well understood.

This study aims to characterise the lipidomic changes in wound tissue and plasma following non-severe burn injuries, identifying metabolic signatures associated with wound healing. By analysing lipid profiles at multiple timepoints, we seek to uncover biomarkers that may predict healing outcomes and inform future therapeutic strategies for improved scar management.

Matched punch biopsies (3mm) and plasma were collected from non-severe adult burn patients (n=32, 0.06-13.5% TBSA). Biopsies, performed under local anaesthetic, were taken from the burn wound at three timepoints: pre-debridement surgery, post-debridement surgery, and six weeks post-surgery, with one from surrounding non-injured skin. Extracted homogenised tissue and plasma were analysed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

From 715 lipid species, orthogonal projections to latent structures-discriminant analysis revealed distinct signatures between pre-surgery burnt and non-injured tissues, with fatty acid FA(24:0) identified as a discriminant lipid. A shift in lipid signatures was observed at six weeks, characterised by increased phospholipid levels in wound tissue. Lactosylceramides, particularly LCER(24:0) (r=-0.5, adjusted p-value=0.03), exhibited an inverse relationship between biopsies and plasma, with levels increasing in pre-surgery wound while decreasing in plasma, before both levels reversing by the six-week mark.

Preliminary data indicate a skin lipidomic signature in the recovery phase of burn injury. Further data interrogation will elucidate how these lipids influence healing and relate to patient outcomes. This research opens new avenues for patient stratification and burn management.