Examination of the early wound healing process under different wound dressing conditions

Abstract

Various types of wound-healing dressings have been used to assist in the healing of surgical wounds. We analyzed the wound-healing process in an animal model using different existing wound dressings. Full-thickness defects were created using a biopsy punch on the backs of 7-week-old rats. The wounded areas were covered with NEOVEIL (polyglycolic acid [PGA]) or TERUDERMIS (collagen sponge [CS]) affixed using a rat jacket. The wound area, neo-epithelium length, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression were evaluated and compared among the control, PGA, and CS groups. The wound areas in the control group on days 4 and 7 were significantly smaller than those in the PGA and CS groups. The expression of α-SMA in granulation tissue peaked on day 4 for all groups. The expression of α-SMA in the control group on days 4 and 7 after injury was greater than in the PGA and CS groups. However, there was no significant difference in the expression of α-SMA between the PGA and CS groups. In this study, PGA and CS suppressed wound contracture and reduced expression of α-SMA in wound areas. However, PGA and CS did not affect the neo-epithelium length at the wound site.