Involvement of blood coagulation factor XIII in burn healing in the carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic injury model in rats.

An involvement of blood coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) in healing of burns was examined in rats with the carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic injury. The oral administration of 2 and 4 ml/kg CCl4 to rats every 4 days delayed healing of the burns induced on the back skin and decreased FXIII activity. These animals showed some hepatotoxic signs (increased glutamic-oxaloacetic and glutamic-pyruvic transaminases) and accelerated blood coagulation system (increased fibrino-peptide A and fibrin degradation product). The delay in the burn healing was shortened by repeated intravenous injections with normal human placenta-derived FXIII concentrate (Fibrogammin P; 120 U/body) every 4 days. There was a negative correlation between plasma FXIII activity at the end of experiment and the time required for wound healing. These findings suggest that reduction in FXIII activity may be one of the factors inducing delayed wound healing in the CCl4-induced hepatic injury rats.