Recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor accelerates wound healing in patients with burns, donor sites and chronic dermal ulcers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor (rbFGF) on accelerating healing of burn wounds, donor sites and chronic dermal ulcers in multicenters. METHODS: One thousand and twenty-four patients with burns, donor sites and chronic dermal ulcers were recruited for this prospective and multicenter clinical trial and another 641 patients with the similar wounds were used as controls. All patients were divided into three groups: burn group, donor site group, and chronic dermal ulcer group. In the burn group, 654 patients with superficial second-degree burns(superficial II degree) or deep second-degree burns(deep II degree) were treated topically with either recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor (rbFGF plus vehicle, rbFGF 150 AU/cm2/day, 330 patients) or placebo (vehicle without rbFGF, 324 patients). In the donor site group, 509 patients were treated with rbFGF and 317 patients with placebo in a similar way as described elsewhere. In the chronic dermal ulcer group, 185 patients were treated with rbFGF and the controls were themselves. Photography, histological evaluation and clinical examination were used to evaluate the results of wound healing. RESULTS: All of superficial second-degree burns, deep second-degree burns and the donor sites treated with recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor had an accelerated rate of granulation tissue formation and epidermal regeneration as compared with that in the controls. Superficial second-degree burns and deep second-degree burns treated with recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor healed in 9.89 +/- 2.45 and 17.04 +/- 4.56 days, respectively, whereas the average healing time in those receiving placebo was 12.35 +/- 2.74 and 21.21 +/- 4.88 days. The donor sites treated with rbFGF or placebo healed in 10.68 +/- 4.55 and 14.74 +/- 6.46 days, respectively. All chronic dermal ulcers except 12 patients treated with rbFGF healed within 6 weeks. Histological evaluation of punch-biopsy specimens from the burn wounds, donor sites and chronic dermal ulcers seven days after treatment supported the impression of accelerated wound healing after rbFGF treatment. CONCLUSIONS: rbFGF is effective in shortening the wound healing time and improving the wound healing quality. Accelerating wound healing is of clinical benefit in reducing the length of hospitalization, costs and emotional burden of the patient.