Moreover, compared to control condition, burns increased the level of AQP-4 (F = 21.13, P < 0.0001, one-way ANOVA; Figures 6G, H), an intrinsic pro-inflammatory protein that is activated only by CNS neuroinflammation and promotes astrocyte swelling, inflammatory cytokine secretion (47), as well as the subsequent occurrence of cerebral edema (28). This evidence concerns the gene AQP4 and brain edema.