Healing of chronic cutaneous wounds by topical treatment with basic fibroblast growth factor

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of topical application of recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor (rbFGF) on the healing of chronic cutaneous woun ds. Methods Twenty-eight patients with thirty-three chronic cutaneous wounds resulting fro m trauma, diabetes mellitus, pressure sore and radiation injuries were enrolled in this prospective, open-label crossover trial. Prior to treatment with rbFGF , all wounds failed to heal with conventional therapies within 4 weeks. All wou nds were locally treated with rbFGF at a dose of 150?AU/cm 2. Healing time an d the quality of wounds were used to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment.Results Healing of all chronic wounds was expedited. During the study, eighteen wounds completely healed within 2 weeks, four healed within 3 weeks, and another eight completely healed within 4 weeks. Only three wounds failed to heal within 4 wee ks, but healed at 30, 40 and 42 days after treatment with rbFGF. Thus, compared with conventional therapies, the effective rate of rbFGF treatment within 4 wee ks was 90.9%. Histological assessment showed more abundant capillary sprouts o r tubes and that fibroblasts were differentiated in wounds treated with rbFGF. No adverse side effects related to basic fibroblast growth factor were observed Conclusions Our results indicate that rbFGF could be used to accelerate healing in chronic w ounds. It is our belief that this may be a more effective method of chronic wou nd management.