[Experimental study of the wound healing in liver cirrhosis]

Effect of cirrhosis on the wound healing was investigated in the rat. Experimental cirrhosis was induced by oral administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). The number of infiltrating cells in the gastric and abdominal wounds was significantly decreased in the cirrhosis group. And the collagen content, represented as hydroxyproline, was also decreased in the wounds of cirrhotic rats. These decreases were positively correlated to the severity of the cirrhosis. These results indicate that the wound healing was impaired in both the inflammatory and the proliferative phase in the cirrhotic rats. The bursting pressure, which represents the physical strength of the wounds, was also lowered in the cirrhosis group. Correlations were observed among the infiltrating cell number, the collagen content and the bursting pressure respectively. These findings indicate that the damage caused by cirrhosis in the inflammatory phase affects the proliferative phase of wound healing. Administration of fresh plasma increased the number of infiltrating cells and the collagen content in the wounds, and was expected to promote the wound healing.