title: A subcutaneous implant for wound healing studies in humans.
abstract: A method for studying wound healing in humans is described. The technique is based on the production of a standard subcutaneous injury during implantation of a retrievable sponge. The injury is produced by introducing a small device (PVA implant) which consists of a 5.7-cm piece of perforated silicone tubing containing two pieces of polyvinyl alcohol sponge. The sponge provides a site for attracting inflammatory cells with subsequent fibroblast infiltration. The sterile PVA implant is inserted subcutaneously in the upper arm by means of a 12-gauge needle and remains there for 14 days. Upon removal, one sponge has hydroxyproline deposition quantitated using a high-performance liquid chromatography technique. The other sponge may be processed for light and electron microscopy or specialty staining. Other collagen determinations such as percentage neutral salt-soluble collagen are also possible. Using the PVA implant has made it possible to follow the kinetics of collagen deposition in the rat. There was a marked increase in collagen accumulation from Day 2 (0.89 nmole/mg sponge) to Day 14 (18 nmole/mg sponge) in the rat. Collagen deposition was also measured in human control subjects (5.07 nmole/mg sponge, n = 12) and compared to trauma patients (2.04 nmole/mg sponge, n = 5). Histologic staining showing fibroblast infiltration and collagen deposition correlated well with the biochemical findings. This implant, coupled with recent HPLC technology, provides a safe, acceptable technique to study human wound healing parameters and overcomes many of the limitations of previous methods.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005337:Fibrin / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D006909:Hydroxyproline / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012828:Silicones; D012867:Skin; D014945:Wound Healing; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012828:Silicones; D005337:Fibrin; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D003094:Collagen; D006909:Hydroxyproline