title: The healing effect of four different silver complexes on full-thickness skin burns in a rat model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was carried-out to investigate the effect of four different silver substances (S1, S2, S3, and S4) on burn wound healing in a rat model.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eighty Wistar rats were used. Animals were randomized into six groups to receive no treatment (CG, control group), and local application of the solvent of silver substances (SG, solvent group), as well as of the four silver substances (EG1-EG4 groups for substances S1-S4, respectively). On days 0, 3, 6, 12, 21, and 31 following burn wound infliction, the size and healing progress of each wound were recorded and evaluated by means of clinical evaluation, planimetry and histological examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to our findings lower infection rates, as well as significantly accelerated wound healing and faster re-epithelialization were recorded in EG1, EG2, and EG4 compared to the other groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of S1, S2, and S4 substances proved to be an effective treatment of burn wounds that ensured better outcomes compared to the control and solvent groups, as well as with the use of S3 substance. Nevertheless, they failed to produce short-term healing of the full-thickness burn. Further research is required to examine the possibility of speeding the treatment of full-thickness burns by these complexes in order to reduce healing time to acceptable limits and prevent the need for surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece efgkouma@yahoo.gr.
authors.forename: Efthalia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gouma
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Batistatou
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis I
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Verginadis
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Yannis V
authors.initials: YV
authors.lastname: Simos
authors.affiliation: Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Loukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kyros
authors.affiliation: Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Sotiris K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hadjikakou
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Spyridon Ch
authors.initials: SCh
authors.lastname: Karkabounas
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Angelos M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Evangelou
authors.affiliation: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Vasilios N
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Ragos
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Peschos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D015394:Molecular Structure; D051381:Rats; D018030:Silver Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D018030:Silver Compounds
keywords: Burn wound; rats; silver; wound healing