The effect of the anti-allergic agent avil on abnormal scar fibroblasts.

Abnormal wound healing in humans leads to the formation of hypertrophic scar and keloids. These abnormal scars accumulate excessive extracellular matrix proteins through increased synthesis as well as decreased degradation. In order to find a therapeutic control for scar formation, we investigated the effect of avil (pheniramine maleate) on fibroblasts cultured from abnormal scars in comparison to normal skin. We observed a decrease in the proliferation rate in cells from normal skin (39%), hypertrophic scar (44%), keloid (63%) and in DNA synthesis in cells from normal skin (50%), hypertrophic scar (55%) and keloid (63%) treated with 8 mM avil (72 h). The rate of decrease in collagen synthesis in normal skin (44%), hypertrophic scar (74%) and keloid fibroblast (73%) correlated with changes in DNA synthesis.