| Abstract: | Clinical impression suggests that Adriamycin (ADR) interferes with wound healing. To examine the effects of ADR on wound healing, male Fischer rats were subjected to a dorsal, midline, full-thickness longitudinal incision (day 0). Wound clips were removed on day +7. Twenty animals per group were given intravenous ADR on day -7, day 0, day +3 and day +7. Twenty animals served as non-treated, wounded controls (C). Five animals/group were sacrificed on days +7, +14 and +21, at which time two 9.5 mm wide strips were taken from each animal perpendicular to the wound axis and submitted for wound breaking strength (WBS) measurements and load-extension curve analysis. WBS differed most markedly at Day 21 between C(1671 +/- 59g) and ADR day -7(1360 + 71 g) p less than 0.01; C and ADR day 0 (1051 +/- 108 g) p less than 0.001; C and ADR day + 3(1134 +/- 176 g) p less than 0.02. No difference existed between C and day +7 (1790 +/- 153 g). A point of inflection always occurred between 55-60% elongation in ADR treated animals only. This portion of the curve has been previously shown to represent collagen content. It is concluded that perioperative ADR administration (day -7 through day +3) significantly and substantially impairs skin wound healing in the rat. A form of collagen yielding underlies and may contribute to this defect. |
