Abstract:Objectives To investigate the effect of different local temperature on PI3K/Akt/GSK3β pathway in rat model of pressure ulcer. Methods The rat model of pressure ulcer was established by ischemia reperfusion(IR) method. 40 SD rats of SPF grade were divided into Sham group, NTI group, HTI group and LTI group.HE staining was performed to observe pathologies of skeletal muscle. Western blot analysis was utilized to determine the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3β. Expression levels of p-Akt and p-GSK3β were determined by Immunofluorescence; TUNEL staining was performed to identify apoptosis rate of skeletal muscle. Results Morphological abnormalities of skeletal muscle, apoptosis rate increased while phosphorylation level of Akt and GSK3β decreased in HTI group when compared with NTI group (P < 0.05). In contrast, low temperature can restrain the skeletal muscle cell damage and apoptosis, and increased the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3β when compared with NTI group (P < 0.05). Conclusions Local hypothermia can enhance recovery of pressure ulcer injury by increasing the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3β, and this can provide experimental evidence for clinical usage of hypothermia for treatment of pressure ulcer.