Creation of consistent burn wounds: a rat model.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Surgical Techniques
• Animal Models

Background:

• Accurate burn wound research in rat models requires standardized infliction techniques.
• Existing methods often lack consistency in wound size and depth.
• This study addresses the need for a reproducible burn model in rats.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a simple and reproducible method for creating consistent burn wounds in rats.
• To establish a standardized protocol for burn infliction in a preclinical setting.
• To ensure uniformity in wound size and depth for reliable experimental outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ten male Sprague-Dawley rats, anesthetized and dorsum shaved.
• Employed a 100g, 1cm diameter stainless-steel rod heated to 100°C.
• Applied the rod for 5, 10, and 20 seconds to different sites, assessing sedation via toe-pinch tests.

Main Results:

• Achieved average wound size of 0.9957 cm² (SD 0.1845).
• Wounds from 10 and 20-second applications were well-defined, uniformly brown with erythema.
• Observed average tissue damage depths of 1.30 mm (5s), 2.35 mm (10s), and 2.60 mm (20s), with full-thickness damage noted.

Conclusions:

• A simple, reproducible method for creating consistent burn wounds in rats has been established.
• This technique yields uniform wound size and depth, suitable for research.
• The described method enhances the reliability of rat burn models in scientific investigations.