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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Assessment of Acute Wound Healing using the Dorsal Subcutaneous Polyvinyl Alcohol Sponge Implantation and Excisional Tail Skin Wound Models.
Published on: March 25, 2020
An experimental model for the study of drug effects on cutaneous healing
Antonio Chiquetti Júnior1, Marco Aurélio de Freitas Rodrigues, Vinicius Daher Alvares Delfino
1Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, UEL, Paraná, Brazil. chiqueti@sercomtel.com.br
Purpose:
Immunosuppressive agents are known to interfere with the healing of surgical wounds. The increasing use of these drugs warrants a better understanding of their effects on wound healing. The aim of this study was to develop an experimental model that would allow for a reliable and rapid assessment of drug effects on cutaneous wound healing.
Methods:
Thirty syngeneic Lewis rats underwent surgical incision on their dorsal region, in the presence or absence of a three-week regimen of immunosuppressant drug therapy (i.e., cyclosporin, azathioprine, and prednisone). Surgical site tissue was collected at intervals over 21 days after surgery and analyzed for cell number and collagen fiber content. Both of these quantitative assessments were performed using digital image capture with the Image Pro Plus 4.5 software.
Results:
Computerized histomorphometric analyses revealed an apparent inhibition of cellular responses and collagen fiber production in drug-treated animals compared to control animals.
Conclusion:
The experimental model was reproducible, easy to perform, and allowed for quantitative histological evaluations. It may be useful for the study of surgical healing in the presence of other drug classes.
Insights
Immunosuppressive drugs, including cyclosporin, azathioprine, and prednisone, were found to inhibit wound healing in rats. This study developed a reliable model to assess drug effects on surgical wound repair.
Area of Science:
- Wound healing research
- Pharmacology
- Immunology
Background:
- Immunosuppressive agents are increasingly used in medicine.
- These drugs are known to impair surgical wound healing.
- A better understanding of these effects is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a reliable and rapid experimental model.
- To assess the impact of immunosuppressive drugs on cutaneous wound healing.
- To provide a quantitative method for evaluating drug effects.
Main Methods:
- Surgical incisions were made on Lewis rats.
- Animals received immunosuppressant drug therapy (cyclosporin, azathioprine, prednisone) for three weeks.
- Tissue analysis included cell number and collagen fiber content using digital image capture.
Main Results:
- Drug-treated rats showed inhibited cellular responses compared to controls.
- Reduced collagen fiber production was observed in drug-treated animals.
- Histomorphometric analysis confirmed the inhibitory effects of immunosuppressants.
Conclusions:
- The developed experimental model is reproducible and easy to perform.
- The model allows for quantitative histological evaluation of wound healing.
- This model can be utilized to study the effects of various drug classes on surgical healing.
