[Preliminary experimental study on free radicals in expanded soft tissue].
OBJECTIVE
To inquire into the formation of free radicals during tissue expansion and its influence on tissue expansion.


METHODS
Expanders of 20 ml were placed beneath the dorsal skin of SD rats, and the conventional expansion course took about 23 to 25 days. The activity of SOD and the content of MDA in skin were determined prior to the last expansion, 1 h, 6 h, 12 h and 24 h after the last expansion, respectively. Meanwhile, the effect of SOD on expansion area and length was observed.


RESULTS
The activity of SOD and the content of MDA at 1 h, 6 h, and 12 h after expansion were significantly different from those before expansion, while the activity of SOD and the content of MDA at 24 h after expansion were almost the same as those before expansion. The difference of expansion area and length between SOD and NS groups was significant, especially during 16 to 24 days.


CONCLUSIONS
Tissue expansion produces free radicals and SOD can increase expansion area and length. The study provides a clue to find a way for safe, rapid and effective soft tissue expansion.
Department of Plastic Surgery, Guangdong Medical College, Zhanjiang 524001.
J
J
Li
X
X
Hao
J
J
Liang
D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015626:Tissue Expansion / Q000379:methods*
D008315:Malondialdehyde; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase