Topical application of dressing with amino acids improves cutaneous wound healing in aged rats

The principal goal in treating surgical and non-surgical wounds, in particular for aged skin, is the need for rapid closure of the lesion. Cutaneous wound healing processes involve four phases including an inflammatory response with the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines. If inflammation develops in response to bacterial infection, it can create a problem for wound closure. Reduced inflammation accelerates wound closure with subsequent increased fibroblast function and collagen synthesis. On the contrary, prolonged chronic inflammation results in very limited wound healing. Using histological and immunohistochemical techniques, we investigated the effects of a new wound dressing called Vulnamin (R) that contains four essential amino acids for collagen and elastin synthesis plus sodium ialuronate (Na-lal), compared with Na-lal alone, in closure of experimental cutaneous wounds of aged rats. Our results showed that the application of Vulnamin dressings modulated the inflammatory response with a reduction in the number of inflammatory cells and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) immunolocalisation, while increasing endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) immunolocalisation. Furthermore, the dressing increased the distribution density of fibroblasts and aided the synthesis of thin collagen fibers resulting in a reduction in healing time. The nutritive approach using this new wound dressing can provide an efficacious and safe strategy to accelerate wound healing in elderly subjects, simplifying therapeutic procedures and leading to an improved quality of life. (C) 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.