Protective effect of nitroglycerin ointment and dimethyl sulfoxide on necrosis of skin flaps in rats
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Updated: Jul 13, 2025
Ischemic Tissue Injury in the Dorsal Skinfold Chamber of the Mouse: A Skin Flap Model to Investigate Acute Persistent Ischemia
Published on: November 17, 2014
Miguel L De la Parra-Marquez1,2, Abril Peralta-Enriquez1,2, Victor G Peña2
1Departament of Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery, Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad No. 21. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS).
Objective:
To compare the protective effect of nitroglycerin ointment 2% and Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) in dorsal flaps of the rat.
Methods:
A blind, experimental study was conducted in 24 male Wistar rats, with a mean weight of 320 (286-376) grams. Group 1: Control. Petrolatum jelly (Vaseline), n = 8, Group 2: Nitroglycerin (NTG) ointment 2% (Nitro-Bid, Altana Co.) n = 8, and Group 3: DMSO gel 90% (Neogen corp. Lexington KY, 40611), n = 8.
Results:
A total of 24 rats were operated on in the 6-month period of this study. Using a non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test analysis, a statistically significant p was obtained between the control group and 2% NTG ointment, both in the area of necrosis and in the healthy area (p = 0.026). In contrast, the comparison between DMSO [CH3) 2SO] and the control group (p = 0.180) and between both study groups, with a p = 0.18, was not significant.
Conclusions:
Our study concluded that there is a protective effect of 2% NTG ointment for flap survival in relation to the control group (petrolatum). DMSO administered topically did not show a protective effect, compared to the control group.
