The Role of Fucoidan Polysaccharide in Enhancing Skin Flap Survival by Affecting Inflammation Factors

Implementing new strategies and developing future research to reduce the rate of necrosis of skin flaps, reduce damage caused by ischemia-reperfusion, raise the survival rate of skin flaps, help improve patients' quality of life, and obtain a suitable result from treatment with skin flaps are very important and have been considered. Fucoidan (Fuc) is important worldwide in pharmaceutical manufacturing due to its therapeutic properties. Its remarkable physiological roles can be credited to its distinct and specialized biological composition.

In this study, skin flap surgery was performed in rats using the McFarlane method on 50 male Sprague Dawley rats (weighing 200-240 g). The study group consisted of five groups. Groups included those who underwent: (1) sham surgery for the first time (8×3 cm skin cut, without elevation); (2) flap surgery (control group, 8×3 cm skin flap with elevation from its bed;), (3) Fuc 5 mg/kg + flap surgery; (4) Fuc 10 mg/kg + flap surgery; and (5) Fuc 15 mg/kg + flap surgery. Survival percentage of necrotic area, the amount of interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and histopathological changes were investigated on the 7th day after skin flap operation.

Fucoidan, in a dose-dependent manner, remarkably reduced the amounts of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in skin flap tissue. In parallel with this reduction, the fucoidan group's incidence of flap necrosis decreased to the minimum level of 15% (P < 0.05). Moreover, the group treated with Fuc 15 showed a higher fibroblastic migration rate and granulation tissue than the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, fucoidan in higher doses could inhibit the release of inflammatory cytokines (P < 0.05).

Fucoidan could increase skin flap survival, decline necrosis, alleviate inflammation, and enhance tissue granulation and collagen synthesis after skin flap surgery, which is remarkable in skin formation and regeneration.

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