INTRAVENOUS PLURONIC F-127 IN EARLY BURN WOUND TREATMENT IN RATS

A dramatic improvement in full skin thickness burn wounds in rats trea ted intravenously with the non-ionic surfactant Pluronic F-127 (F-127) has been demonstrated. In this study the F-127 was given 30 min postb urn to simulate conditions encountered in a clinical setting. Anaesthe tized male rats (300-320 g) received full skin thickness burns by imme rsion of the anterior chest wall (8 per cent body surface area in a 70 -degrees-C water-bath for 12 s). Burn wound area was measured immediat ely and after 48 h. Thirty minutes after the burn, half the animals re ceived equal volumes (8 ml/kg body wt) of either saline or F-127 (12 m m/l concentration) via the tail vein. The animals autopsied at 48 h sh owed a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in the degree of wound contrac tion and the wound appeared grossly less damaged in the F-127-treated animals. Histologically, skin biopsies showed less of the microscopic damage usually associated with full skin thickness burns in the F-127- treated animals than in the saline controls. We also used thermography to measure skin temperature of the burn area at 90 min and 48 h posti njury demonstrating alterations in the F-127-treated animals (P < 0.05 ). In animals followed for 30 days postinjury, there was a significant (P < 0.01) improvement in the wound closure rates in the F-127-treate d animals. These observations show a positive therapeutic effect of F- 127 on the inflammatory process in the area of a burn that may improve wound healing