Effect of vibriolysin, an enzymatic debriding agent, on healing of partial-thickness burn wounds

Vibriolysin, a new agent for enzymatic debridement, was recently shown to rapidly and thoroughly hydrolyze burn wound eschar within full-thickness wounds. The safety of this agent and its subsequent effect on wound healing processes have yet to be established and are addressed in this study. Within the context of a porcine partial-thickness burn wound model, the enzyme was shown to digest desiccated eschar after two applications, whereas four applications of another enzymatic preparation were required. Computerized morphometric analysis of dermal and epidermal growth from histologic sections on wounds harvested at day 7 and 10 was used to assess wound healing. The data indicate that wounds treated with Vibriolysin exhibited significant dose-responsive stimulation of granulation tissue (neodermis) as compared with control treatment groups. Repeated protease applications did not convert partial-thickness burns to full-thickness wounds, and no adverse inflammatory responses were detected between 1 and 10 days. The results suggest that in addition to its documented efficacy in the debridement of burn eschar, Vibriolysin may have beneficial effects on dermal reparative events.