Serum-free cell culture medium induces acceleration of wound healing in guinea-pigs

Among the current methods employed in the treatment of wounds, a moist dressing is considered to be the optimal environment for the process of healing thereby avoiding dessication of the wound bed. This study is based on the hypothesis that wound cell proliferation is dependent not only on moisture but also upon the composition of the moist microenvironment in the wound. That composition in turn is formed by diffusion of nutrients from the existing vascular bed in and around the wound as well as by the wound cellsʹ cellular products. Since in wounds the impaired vascular supply causes tissue deprivation, a continuous supply of nutrients and hormones will create an optimal substrate for cellular mitogenic activity, synthesis of matrix, growth factors and cytokines leading to wound healing. Modified serum-free cell culture medium was supplemented with non-steroidal anabolic hormones: growth hormone, thyroxin and insulin, transferrin and sodium selenite. The medium was prepared in a 1 per cent alginate gel matrix. Under general anaesthesia with ketamine (Imalgene 1000, Rhone Merieux, France) four 2 × 2 cm full-thickness skin patches were surgically extirpated from the dorsum of Hartley-derived guinea-pigs. Each experimental group consisted of seven animals, i.e. 28 wounds that received the same treatment. Compositions of gelatin in saline, agarose in saline, agarose in medium and agarose in saline supplemented with the three hormones were compared to agarose in medium supplemented with the three hormones. After application of the gel (1 ml/cm2), the wounds were dressed with gauze, elastic adhesive bandage and netting. Change of bandage and administration of gel were performed every 48 h under general anaesthesia, at which time all the wounds were washed with warm saline, measured, photographed and redressed as above. Computerized morphometric measurements of the photographs of each wound, in sequence, were made using ImageMeasure software. The dynamics of wound closure were quantified, analysed and plotted. The agarose in medium supplemented with the three anabolic hormones induce statistically significant (P< 0.001) acceleration of wound closure when compared to controls. No statistically significant different was found among the controls.