The Effects of Pentoxifylline on the Wound Healing Process in a Rat Experimental Pressure Sore Model

Introduction: The present study used a histological evaluation method to examine the effects of pentoxifylline (PTX) on healing an experimentally-induced pressure sore in a rat model. Materials and Methods: There were 36 adult male rats used in this study. Under general anesthesia and sterile conditions, we used forceps to create one pressure sore on each rat. A double layer of folded skin from the dorsal region was held with the highest forceps pressure grade for two hours, followed by 30 minutes of relaxation. This was repeated 12 times over three consecutive working days, and created a pressure sore after seven days. Next, rats were randomly divided into three control and three experimental groups. The experimental groups received intraperitoneal injections of PTX (50 mg/kg) for 14, 21, and 28 days after the pressure sore was created. Control groups received a similar volume of saline solution. Rats were euthanized, after which samples were extracted from the wound area and prepared for light microscopy examination. We calculated the number of neutrophils, macrophages, fibroblasts, blood vessel sections, and thicknesses of the newly formed epidermis and dermis. Results: Although the values of some studied parameters were higher in the experimental group, there were no significant differences noted between the experimental and control groups. Conclusion: In this study PTX did not increase any histological parameters. Thus, the effects of PTX on the pressure sore model seem to result from different mechanisms.