ENDOGENOUS VERSUS TOXIN-INDUCED DIABETES IN RATS - A MECHANICAL COMPARISON OF 2 SKIN WOUND-HEALING MODELS

This study was designed to compare skin wound healing in three groups of Wistar rats: normal, genetically diabetic, and streptozotocin-induc ed diabetic. All diabetic animals received daily insulin. Full-thickne ss midline dorsal skin wounds were analyzed biomechanically for streng th, toughness, and elasticity (Young's modulus) at 1 and 3 weeks after wounding. Wounds from normal controls were the strongest, toughest, a nd least compliant. Genetically diabetic rat wounds were the weakest a nd had the lowest elastic modulus. Wounds from the streptozotocin-indu ced rats were intermediate for all parameters measured (ANOVA, p = 0.0 01). Toxin-induced diabetes is less detrimental to skin wound healing than diabetes of endogenous origin. Whether this is due to basic diffe rences in the models or to differences in duration of diabetes is unkn own.