INHIBITION OF WOUND CONTRACTION BY TOPICAL ANTIMICROBIALS

Spontaneous wound healing occurs partly by wound contraction, a proces s that requires intact functioning fibroblasts, and collagen productio n. Disruption of fibroblasts by the topical antimicrobials, silver sul fadiazine and mafenide acetate has been demonstrated in vitro. An acut e rat wound model was used to show that wound contraction in vivo is s ignificantly impeded by silver sulfadiazine and mafenide acetate.