title: [Ecdysterone promotes wound healing in rabbits].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the efficacy of ecdysterone in promoting wound healing in rabbits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one New Zealand rabbits were randomized equally into 3 groups and in each rabbit, 4 separate full-thickness skin wounds were induced and treated with dexamethasone, ecdysterone and Yunnan white powder, or untreated, respectively. On day 3, 6, and 9, respectively, one group of rabbits were sacrificed and the local wound tissue was obtained for pathological examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three days after the operation, the 4 wounds in each rabbit did not show significant difference in the healing rate (P>0.05). On day 6, as was similar to day 9, ecdysterone and Yunnan white powder showed better efficacy in promoting wound healing than dexamethasone (P<0.01), the latter having similar effect with the control management (P>0.05), and that of ecdysterone was similar to Yunnan white powder (P>0.05). Pathologically, early stage of wound healing was characterized by exudation and hyperemia, and on days 6 and 9, ecdysterone and Yunnan white powder exhibited similar strong effect for shaping the granulation tissue and stimulating epithelial cell proliferation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ecdysterone can obviously promote wound healing in rabbits, which may offer a clinical alternative for promoting wound healing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. hou.liang@126.com
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Wu-jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000818:Animals; D004441:Ecdysterone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D011897:Random Allocation; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000293:injuries; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D004441:Ecdysterone