[The effect of immunological response on wound healing in rat with liver cirrhosis]

We examined the reaction of cell-mediated immunity with wound healing in liver cirrhosis. Cirrhosis was induced in male Wistar rats with a basal diet supplemented with 0.06% dimethylaminoazobenzene (DAB) over a four week period. Rats fed with a basal diet were served as control. Midline laparotomy of 2cm was performed. We determined the number of lymphocyte, the collagen content and the bursting pressure of the abdominal wound. In addition, the delayed hypersensitivity response was measured using dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) applied to the ears. The rats with cirrhosis showed significant decrease in the number of lymphocytes, the collagen content and the bursting pressure of the wound in comparison with the control rats. Also the rats with cirrhosis had depressed DNFB response. The response of infiltrating lymphocytes in the ear was similar to the response of lymphocytes in the wound. There was a positive correlation between the lymphocyte number and the collagen content in the wound. Moreover, the bursting pressure had a significant correlation with the number of lymphocyte in the wound. The data strongly suggest that depressed cell-mediated immunity impairs wound healing in liver cirrhosis.