Low temperatures reduce skin healing in the Jacaré do Pantanal (Caiman yacare, Daudin 1802).
Studies of skin wound healing in crocodilians are necessary given the frequent occurrence of cannibalism in intensive farming systems. Air temperature affects tissue recovery because crocodilians are ectothermic. Therefore, the kinetics of skin wound healing in Caiman yacare were examined at temperatures of 33°C and 23°C. Sixteen caiman were selected and divided into two groups of eight maintained at 23°C or 33°C. The studied individuals' scars were photographed after 1, 2, 3, 7, 15 and 30 days of the experimental conditions, and samples were collected for histological processing after 3, 7, 15 and 30 days. Macroscopically, the blood clot (heterophilic granuloma) noticeably remained in place covering the wound longer for the caiman kept at 23°C. Microscopically, the temperature of 23°C slowed epidermal migration and skin repair. Comparatively, new blood vessels, labeled using von Willebrand factor (vWF) antibody staining, were more frequently found in the scars of the 33°C group. The collagen fibers in the dermis were denser in the 33°C treatment. Considering the delayed healing at 23°C, producers are recommended to keep wounded animals at 33°C, especially when tanks are cold, to enable rapid wound closure and better repair of collagen fibers because such lesions tend to compromise the use of their skin as leather.
Departamento de Ciências Biológicas/Department of Biological Sciences, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso/University of Mato Grosso State , Campus de Cáceres, Avenida São João S/N, Cavalhada Cáceres, MT 78200-000 , Brazil ; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas/Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Universidade de São Paulo/University of São Paulo , São Paulo, SP 05508-900 , Brazil.
Leandro Nogueira
LN
Pressinotti
Ricardo Moraes
RM
Borges
Angela Paula
AP
Alves De Lima
Victor Manuel
VM
Aleixo
Renata Stecca
RS
Iunes
João Carlos Shimada
JC
Borges
Bruno
B
Cogliati
José Roberto Machado
JR
Cunha Da Silva
Crocodilians; Histology; Inflammation