EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT TREATMENT REGIMES ON THE HEALING OF SURGICAL WOUNDS IN RABBIT

Abstract

The research work was conducted at the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Science, Hajee Mohammed Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU), Dinajpur, Bangladesh. The experiments were performed in rabbits to find out the topical effect of Aloe Vera leaf gel, Curcuma and liquid paraffin on the healing of the open surgical wound. The bodyweight of the animals ranged from 1.5 to 1.8 Kg. The rabbits used in this study received care under the Guiding Principles for the Care and Use of Research Animals, as established by HSTU. The rabbits were caged individually and provided adequate food and water ad libitum. All surgical wounds treated topically according to experimental design to progress the healing process. The progressive changes in wound healing were monitored every alternative day. Length and width of wound margin were measured every alternative day a total of 28 days with the help of a measuring scale. Wound tenderness was also measured by VAS score. Regular photograph of each wound was taken with the help of a digital camera. Tissue samples were collected for the histopathological study from all treatment groups after completion of healing. Surgical wounds were made on the skin of the dorsal back of the twenty rabbits and each rabbit possesses a single wound. All surgical wounds are the same in size (1.8cm×1.8cm). In this study, a significant difference (p<0.05) on the healing time were observed among the treatment groups. The mean days to complete healing of wounds for the different treatment groups are 15 days for group-A, 19 days for group-B, 22 days for group-C and 25 days for group-D. Aloe Vera treated groups required a shorter time to heal the surgical wounds in compared to other treated groups. In this study, wound healing pattern of Aloe Vera treated group is smoother in comparison to other treated groups and also the wound tenderness of Aloe Vera treated group is lower in comparison to other treated groups. Lower the wound tenderness is indicative of a faster healing rate. In histopathology, deep staining and high scarification were found in Aloe Vera treated group. These findings indicate better healing capacity of Aloe Vera than the other treated groups. Curcuma and liquid paraffin treated groups take good stain but the presence of reactive cells indicates the presence of inflammation under the epithelium and shows the continuation of underlining tissue healing. However, in Aloe Vera treated group there is no reactive cell and thus indicates the completion of superficial and underlining tissue healing