A systematic and quantitative method for wound-dressing evaluation

BACKGROUND: For patients with skin defects such as burns, wound dressing plays important roles in protecting the wound. Before a novel wound dressing is applied to a patient, a series of tests should be performed to ensure its safety and efficacy. Different types of animal wound-healing models have been used to study the bio-function of different wound dressings; however, a systematic way to evaluate the effect of a wound dressing on wound healing and cutaneous regeneration is lacking. METHODS: In the study presented here, full-thickness wound models were established in mice, and a systematic way to quantitatively analyze the wound-healing process and the histological results is described. RESULTS: It was found that the rate of wound healing in the tested wound dressing (TWD) group was higher than that in the control group, and the re-epithelialization and the formation of granulation tissue were enhanced when the TWD was applied. Meanwhile, the inflammatory response was attenuated in the TWD group, and more mature and better aligned collagen fibers in the healed wound tissue was found in the TWD group compared with that in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: A systematic, quantitative way to analyze the effect of a wound dressing on wound healing was established. And it might be helpful for the design of wound dressing in the future.