Effect of Pentoxifylline Administration on Mast Cell Numbers and Degranulation in a Diabetic and Normoglycemic rat Model Wound Healing

BACKGROUND: Wound healing is a complicated and integrated process. Researches in the molecular level on human and animal models have indicated several molecular changes related to the effect of diabetes on wound healing process. OBJECTIVES: Increasing number of researches implicates the influence of mast cells on skin wound repairing. In this study the effect of systemic pentoxifylline (PTX) administration (daily dose of 25mg/kg twice a day, for 7 consecutive days) on normoglycemic (NG) and diabetic (DB) wistar rat’s wound healing by secondary intention was studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study forty eight wistar rats (weighting 250-350g) were divided randomly in two groups: Normoglycemic and diabetic, each group was divided into experimental and control groups, experimental received intraperitoneal (PTX) and controls received distilled water (DW). The number and maturing process of mast cells was evaluated by counting the number of types of mast cells [1][2][3] microscopically and by stereological methods on day 3 and 7 after surgery. RESULTS: In this study it was cleared that in wound healing process PTX caused increasing the number of type 2 mast cells in all experimental groups(P = 0.00). In normoglycemic experimental group, receiving PTX there was decrease in the number of type3 mast cells, comparing experimental NG groups (P = 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: In all PTX treated groups delay in converting type 2 into type 3 mast cell was seen. Pentoxifylline causes decreasing mast cell degranulation in wound healing process.