Effect of oxidized dextran on reparative regeneration of the skin after burn injury.

In adult Wistar rats, a 3B degree skin burn was modeled and treated by daily application of 5% aqueous solution of oxidized dextran (molecular weight of 60 kDa) on the wound surface. In animals treated with oxidized dextran, neutrophil count in the connective tissue adjacent to the wound increased by day 5 and then decreased by day 21 after burn infliction; proliferation of fibroblasts was observed later than in untreated animals, in whom inflammation run a subacute course. Oxidized dextran increased the content of macrophages in the wound and surrounding connective tissue from days 14 to 21 after burn infliction and promoted effective and complete healing of the skin defect. Regeneration was realized mainly due to proliferation of keratinocytes at the wound edges and was completed by 7 days earlier than in untreated animals, in whom the area of injury by day 21 decreased by only 2 times (vs. 10 times in treated rats).