title: Testing photobiomodulatory effects of laser irradiation on wound healing: development of an improved model for dressing wounds in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a suitable method for dressing skin wounds in BKS.Cg-m(+)/(+)Lepr(db) mice for subsequent use in laser irradiation of wounds. The healing of nonirradiated wounds (controls) was examined histologically to provide essential reference data.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Dressing excisional skin wounds in mice has many advantages. However, previous studies using dressings such as Tegaderm W or OpSite, with or without adhesives, have shown that this is not easily achieved.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a pilot study, a full-thickness wound was made on the left flank in six diabetic and six nondiabetic mice, and five different methods were tried for dressing the wounds with Tegaderm HP to develop an optimized procedure. The optimized procedure was used in subsequent studies, with a total of 23 diabetic and 13 nondiabetic mice being controls for laser-irradiated mice. Measurements of healing outcomes from histologic sections of controls were statistically analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The optimized procedure used Tegaderm HP with Cavilon and Fixomull Stretch strips for the first dressing, and with Mastisol for subsequent dressings. Wound closure by contraction was retarded in a large proportion of diabetic mice (approximately 80%) and a small proportion of nondiabetic mice. These wounds, described as "splinted," healed mainly by epithelial regeneration and granulation tissue formation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A simple, easy-to-perform procedure was developed for dressing wounds in diabetic and nondiabetic mice. It was found to cause splinting with wound healing mimicking that in human patients. This model is suitable for examining the effects of different therapies on wound healing, including lasers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy & Structural Biology, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Tzu-Yun
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Philip V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Peplow
authors.forename: G David
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Baxter
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001458:Bandages; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000628:therapy*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000150:complications; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D028022:Low-Level Light Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011897:Random Allocation; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014014:Tissue Adhesives / Q000494:pharmacology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D014014:Tissue Adhesives