Histopathological investigation of the effect of chitosan on wound healing in oral mucosa in experimentally generated diabetic rats

In our study, we aimed to investigate histopathologically the effects of chitosan gel on wound healing in oral mucosa of diabetic rats. 42 Sprague Dawley rats at 14-16 weeks of age and 340 ± 20 grams of weight were used. Diabetes induction was achieved by administering 55 mg / kg Streptozotocin intraperitoneally to 32 of the subjects. Rats with a blood glucose level above 250 mg / dl were considered diabetic at the end of the 2nd and 7th day and included in the study. After waiting for 7 days, a 5 mm diameter and 1 mm deep wound was created in the buccal mucosa of experimental animals with a disposable biopsy punch tools. Wound healing was evaluated on days 2 and 5. Histopathological examinations revealed inflammation, fibrosis, epithelial regeneration, necrosis and foreign body reaction. As a result of the statistical analysis, a significant difference was found between the groups in terms of inflammation levels on the 2nd and 5th days (p<0.05). In the intergroup evaluations, the rate of severe inflammation on the 2nd day was found to be statistically significantly higher than the 5th day in the diabetes + chitosan group (p<0.05). While there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of fibrosis levels on the 2nd day (p>0.05), a statistically significant difference was found in terms of fibrosis levels on the 5th day (p<0.05). It was observed that chitosan did not cause foreign body reaction in any of the groups on days 2 and 5.