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Published on: June 8, 2013
Benefits of pentoxifylline for skin flap tissue repair in rats
Stephanie Luzia da Costa Pedretti1,2, Cícero de Lima Rena3,4, Laura Alejandra Ariza Orellano5
1Fellow PhD degree, Postgraduate Program in Surgery and Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, Medical School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte - MG. Reproduction Biology Center, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Brazil. Substantive scientific and intellectual contributions to the study; conception and design; acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data; technical procedures; histopathological examinations; manuscript preparation and writing.
Purpose:
To assess the action of pentoxifylline, administered by subcutaneous route, on skin flap tissue repair in rats, and to verify the histological aspects and biomarkers.
Methods:
Thirty-two male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control (CT) and treated with pentoxifylline (P1, P3 and P5). Modified McFarlane technique flap was used. Ten days later, the animals were euthanized and the areas of viable and necrotic tissue were evaluated. Hematoxylin/eosin staining was used to assess the morphometric characteristics of the number of vessels and epithelial thickness. Picrosirius red was used to assess collagen density. VEGF and TGF-?1 levels on the skin flap and serum of the animals were measured by the ELISA method.
Results:
The macroscopic evaluation of the skin flap dimensions showed reduced necrotic tissue in the pentoxifylline (p < 0.05) treated groups. There was an increase in angiogenesis and reepithelization, demonstrated by analyses with an increased number of vessels (p < 0.05), VEGF and epithelial thickness. Fibrogenic effect showed decreased collagen density and TGF-β1 in the skin flap and serum.
Conclusion:
The benefits of pentoxifylline administered by subcutaneous route, at dose 100 mg/kg, which was effective to improve the survival of skin flap by acting on tissue repair components, stimulating angiogenesis and reepithelization, in addition to reducing fibrogenesis.
