The Role of Topical Estrogen, Phenytoin, and Silver Sulfadiazine in Time to Wound Healing in Rats.

Many recent studies have focused on the potential role of topical agents in the wound healing process. To compare the time to healing of full-thickness wounds treated with topical estrogen, phenytoin, or silver sulfadiazine (SSD), an in vivo study was conducted using 32 male Wistar rats. Animals were housed individually in standard cages in similar environmental conditions, and a single, circular (4 mm in diameter), full-thickness skin wound was created on the dorsum of each rat. Animals were randomly divided into 4 groups of 8 rats each and treated with topical phenytoin, SSD, estrogen cream, or no treatment/control. Each wound was measured and examined daily until healing, defined as complete reepithelialization and closure of the wound. Group mean healing times were calculated, and Tukey's multiple comparison test was used to compare these data. Average times to healing were 11 days in estrogen group, 10 days in phenytoin group, 7.62 days in SSD group, and 11.87 days in control group. Wound healing was significantly faster in the SSD compared to control (P <.01) and the estrogen group (P <.01). No other differences were statistically significant. Further studies, especially randomized clinical trials on human beings with larger sample sizes, are recommended to elucidate if these topical agents affect wound outcomes.