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Updated: Jul 5, 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
[The experimental study of creating a new rat scarring model by inserting absorbable gelatin sponge into rats'
Xiao-Li Wu1, Wei Liu, Zhen Gao
1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai 9th People's Hospital, Shanghai, China.
Objective:
To explore the possibility of creating a rat new scar model by inserting gelatin sponge into rat excisional wounds.
Methods:
Two full-thickness wounds were created in each of total 49 SD rats. In the Experimental group (n = 19), a regular incisional wound (1 cm) was created on the left side, and an excisional wound of 1.0 cm x 0.2 cm was created on the right side with a gelatin sponge inserted. In control 1 group (n = 15), an excisional wound with sponge insertion was created on both sides of rats. In control 2 group (n = 15), two excisional wounds were created on both sides, and only one side wounds were inserted with a sponge. Animals were sacrificed at various time points for different examinations.
Results:
The wound/scar width increased 4 - 11 times in inserted wounds than in regular incisional wounds (P < 0.01), with an obvious delay of epithelialization. No difference in wound/scar width was found in both sides of wounds of control 1 group at various locations. In contrast to the linear scar of sponge-inserted wounds, contracted and irregular scar was found in non-inserted wounds of control 2 group.
Conclusions:
Gelatin sponge insertion can create a thick linear scar in rat wounds, and thus provides a new model for scar research.

