The Effects Trauma and DMSO on Rat Skin Nutritive Blood Flow

Abstract

A radioisotopic method utilizing rubidium-86 was used to determine the exchangeable blood flow (EBF) in rat skin. Dorsal skin pedicle flaps were used as a standard model for traumatized skin. Forty-eight hours following the surgical formation of the pedicle flaps. EBF was found to be more than double the normal value in the area of traumatized skin surrounding the pedicle flaps. Topical application of a 10% solution of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) did not affect EBF, but 70% DMSO significantly increased ERF of normal untraumatized back skin. Abdominal skin from the same animal showed no alteration in EBF. Thus, DMSO increased EBF only in the area of topical application. By contrast, 70% DMSO did not affect EBF in traumatized skin, and 10% DMSO actually decreased EBF to both the flap and surrounding skin. Although topical application of 10% or 70% DMSO is known to inhibit necrosis of skin pedicle flaps in rats, the present data indicate that such inhibition is not mediated by a DMSO-induced increase in nutritive blood flow.