Chloramine-T solutions: effect on wound healing in guinea pigs

An evaluation of the wound-healing and disinfectant activities of chloramine-T (Chlorazene) used in hydrotherapy whirlpools was studied in a guinea pig cutaneous wound model. Standard microbiologic methods were used to determine the bacteriocidal activity of Chlorazene in cultures containing up to 2.03 x 10(6) colony-forming units per milliliter of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Full-thickness skin wounds in 40 guinea pigs were inoculated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and all animals allowed to recover from anesthesia. Twenty-four hours later, animals were placed in water only or water containing Chlorazene (300ppm) for 20 minutes. This procedure was repeated daily for up to seven days after inoculation of wounded skin. Rate of wound epithelialization and number of infected wounds were determined. Large reductions in numbers of cultured organisms were observed after treatment with Chlorazene. No differences in rate of wound healing could be determined in water- or Chlorazene-treated animals. Chlorazene-treated wounds contained fewer pseudomonas organisms than water-treated controls on postinoculation days five and six. These results confirm that Chlorazene is an effective water disinfectant. Data also indicate that in the concentration used, Chlorazene does not affect the rate of wound healing.