Oxandrolone, an anabolic steroid, enhances the healing of a cutaneous wound in the rat

The effect of the anabolic steroid oxandrolone on the healing rate of a sta ndardized full thickness linear wound on the back of the rat was studied. O xandrolone was given orally by gavage in peanut oil at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg/ day. A placebo powder in peanut oil was given at the same dose to a control group. Parameters monitored were time to complete wound closure, wound hyd roxyproline content and tensile strength, as well as histology. We found th at wounds closed completely in 12 +/- 3 days with oxandrolone, compared to 18 +/- 3 days for a placebo. a statistically significant difference. The ra te of body weight gain was identical in both groups. Hydroxyproline content of the healed incision site was 23 +/- 4 mg/g tissue vs. 17 +/- 3 mg/g tis sue, while the tensile strength increased to 185 +/- 13 g/mm(2) vs. 102 +/- 18 g/mm(2) in the oxandrolone and placebo groups, respectively. Both param eters were significantly increased with the anabolic steroid. Histologic ex amination showed a wound that contained more mature and densely packed coll agen and was also hypercellular with oxandrolone treatment. We conclude tha t the anabolic steroid oxandrolone significantly enhanced wound healing unr elated to any generalized increase in protein mass as would be reflected in body weight.