Excision Wound Model in rats

A round, full-thickness excision wound of 4.0 mm in diameter and 2 mm depth was produced in dorsal skin by picking up a skinfold at the midline and using a sterile disposable AcuPunch (Acuderm Inc. Florida U.S.A). The wound healing process was followed for 28 days (Figure 1).

1a – Representative color images of diabetic and non-diabetic control rats following the wound healing process. The wound, which was created using a 4 mm round punch biopsy tool, was also 2 mm deep. In the non-diabetic group, the wound was closed after day 9, where in the diabetic group the wound was closed after 21 days. 1b – Weber contrast, as the ratio of the change in intensity from the wounded site to non-wounded site, was calculated based on the color images. The blue represents the non-diabetic control rats (n=3) and the orange represents the diabetic rats (n=6). The healing process is delayed in the diabetic rats compared to the non-diabetic ones. These results were statistically significant for day 7 and day 9, when * represents p<0.05 and ** represents p<0.01 ANOVA. The error bars are mean+/−SEM

For diabetic rats, each wound was created two weeks after the rats were considered to be diabetic, with blood glucose of >350 mg/dl. In non-diabetic rats, each wound was created two weeks after the saline injection.