Effects of topical agents on wound healing in the stasis zone in an experimental burn model

As a result of thermal damage to the skin, a burn wound consists of hyperemia on the outer layer, stasis in the middle zone and coagulation zones in the innermost region. Despite the absence of ischemic signs in the stasis zone at the initial stages of a burn wound, the depth of the burn increases as ischemic indicators become more distinct in the stasis zone when the burn is not adequately treated. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential effects of silver sulfadiazine, boric acid, low molecular weight heparin, and glyceryl trinitrate on wound healing in the stasis zone. For this purpose, four intervention groups, each consisting of 6 rats, and a sham group were established. Following seven days of daily topical application of the active substances, the animals were sacrificed, and wound healing in the stasis zones was evaluated macroscopically, histologically, and immunohistochemically. While there were no statistically significant results in macroscopic findings, the highest wound healing was observed in the boric acid and silver sulfadiazine groups, respectively. Histologically, the highest wound healing was found in the boric acid and silver sulfadiazine groups. In indirect immunohistochemical evaluation, the silver sulfadiazine group showed the highest wound healing in MMP9 staining, and the boric acid group showed the highest wound healing in VEGF staining. Considering the suppressive effect of boric acid on inflammation in wound healing, it is evident that inflammation plays a role in progressing ischemia in the stasis zone, and boric acid and silver sulfadiazine are effective in preventing this ischemia.