effect of anodal and cathodal microamperage electrical stimulation on injury potential and size of acute wound in guinea pig

introduction: it is believed that injury potential has a regulatory role in wound healing process and the application of exogenous electrical stimulation may serve to mimic the natural endogenous bioelectric current so that can improve the wound healing. up to now, this hypothesis has not been researched in surgically acute wounds. materials and methods: thirty nine male guinea pigs were randomly divided into one control group (sham treated) and two experimental groups (one dc anodal and one dc cathodal group). a full thickness skin incision having a length of 2.5 cm was made on the dorsum of each animal at a distance of 1 cm from spinous processes. the differential surface skin potential was measured before and immediately after the injury and also through the healing process until 21st days. also the wound surface area was measured through the healing process. results: immediately after the injury, the wound site potential in all three groups increased significantly and reached its maximum at day 1 in the control and cathodal group and day 3 in anodal group (p<0.05). only in anodal group, there was not significant difference between the basal initial potential and the wound potential at 17th, 19th and 21st day (p>0.05). at 19th and 21st day, the wound potential between the control and anodal group was significantly different (p<0.05). wound surface area in the two experimental groups decreased higher in 3rd week with respect to the control group (p<0.05). discussion and conclusion: anodal micro amperage direct current can accelerate bioelectric events of skin wound and return the wound potential to its natural level rapidly. perhaps due to more closing of wound in anodal group, the structure and function of epidermal membrane, as more important factor in production of skin potential, has returned better to natural status.