title: [Pharmacological therapy of keloids in an athymic mouse model].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In spite of the high incidence of dermal fibroproliferative disorders, there is no agreement about the treatment of choice. Due to the inability of animals to produce keloid tissue, a standardised model to study the effects of different treatment modalities in vivo is lacking. Therefore, a comparative study on the effect of three pharmacological agents was conducted with human keloid implants in an athymic mouse model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cubic keloid tissue blocks from 10 human volunteers were implanted in 54 male, athymic, homozygotic mice. The animals were divided into 4 groups, including an untreated control group. Members of each section received either colchicine, nicardipine or triamcinolone applied transdermally into the keloid tissue or into the peritoneum. The tissue specimens of 5 mice each were explanted according to a predetermined time schedule on days 28, 42 and 56 post-implantation and examined using various histological techniques including standard dye and immune histochemistry. The freeze-dried and moist weights of the keloid tissue were determined and analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistically significant changes regarding declining weight parameters were seen in the colchicines-treated group. Moreover, the densities of fibroblasts and endothelial cells were significantly reduced through colchicines treatment when compared to the control group and the groups treated with the other agents. The triamcinolone group also showed partially significant changes of weight compared to the control group, whereas no statistically significant effect of nicardipine on any parameter was found. Any influence of the host organism could be excluded as there were no signs of rejection or lymphocytic infiltration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study represents a successful attempt to create a standardised model for a comparative investigation on keloid tissue in vivo. The effect of colchicine was demonstrated in the light of an inhibitory effect on fibroblastic proliferative activity. The studied model allows a direct comparison of implanted, vascularised keloid tissue and its reactivity to various agents without being biased by numerous unknown variables in humans.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Plastische Chirurgie und Handchirurgie, DRK-Kliniken Berlin-Westend. t.muehlberger@drk-kliniken-westend.de
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blazek
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ottomann
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muehlberger
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003078:Colchicine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006652:Histological Techniques; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007627:Keloid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009529:Nicardipine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013997:Time Factors; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014221:Triamcinolone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D014221:Triamcinolone; D009529:Nicardipine; D003078:Colchicine