THE EFFECTS OF COMMERCIAL WOUND CLEANSERS ON CUTANEOUS WOUND-HEALING IN GUINEA-PIGS

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on cutaneous wound healing of a newly formulated wound cleanser (DPS 89009) prior to its commercial introduction in 1990 as SAF-Clens(TM) Chronic Wound Cleanser. Healing of 3 cm full thickness wounds of the dorsal skin of adult guinea pigs was examined over a period of three weeks. Three different treatment groups were followed including one antimicrobial surgical scrub (Betadine(R)), one skin/wound cleanser (Shur-Clens(R)), and the pilot batch (DPS 89009) of the new wound cleanses SAF-Clens. Control wounds, treated with saline, were compared with the experimental treatments on the contralateral sides of the same animals. All wounds were cleansed and dressed daily with either saline or an experimental treatment. The wound healing process was examined at intervals of 3, 6, 9, 14 and 21 days. At each of these intervals, four animals were sacrificed, their wounds photographed and full thickness skin specimens were surgically removed for both examination by light microscopy and a theological study of their tensile properties. Histological preparations of wounds were examined in the light microscope and objectively scored for epidermal and dermal repair, and inflammation. The tensile strength of the wounds was evaluated by stretching skin containing the wound until failure in a Scott General Testing machine. Statistical evaluation of the data revealed that both the epidermis and dermis healed more slowly than controls in Betadine treated animals while Shur-Clens and DPS 89009 treated wounds did not differ significantly from controls. Betadine also resulted in significantly higher levels of inflammation than controls, whereas, Shur-Clens and DPS 89009 did not differ significantly from controls. Surprisingly, the tensile strength of skin wounds from the Betadine treated animals were significantly higher than controls while the tensile strength of both the Shur-Clens and DPS 89009 treated animals were not significantly different from controls.