Arch Plast Surg.  2017 Sep;44(5):378-383. 10.5999/aps.2017.44.5.378.

Effects of Topical Tamoxifen on Wound Healing of Burned Skin in Rats

• Mehrvarz S
• Ebrahimi A
• Sahraei H
• Bagheri MH
• Fazili S
• Manoochehry S
• Rasouli HR

• KMID: 2392309
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5999/aps.2017.44.5.378

Abstract

BACKGROUND
This study aimed to assess the effects of the topical application of tamoxifen on wound healing of burned skin in Wistar rats by evaluating 3 healing characteristics: fibrotic tissue thickness (FTT), scar surface area (SSA), and angiogenesis in the healed scar tissue.
METHODS
Eighteen male Wistar rats were used in this study. A third-degree burn wound was made on the shaved animals' back, measuring 2×2×2 cm. In the first group, a 2% tamoxifen ointment was applied to the wound twice daily for 8 weeks. The second group received a placebo ointment during the same period. The third group did not receive any treatment and served as the control group.
RESULTS
The median (interquartile range=[Q1, Q3]) FTT was 1.35 (1.15, 1.62) mm, 1.00 (0.95, 1.02) mm, and 1.25 (0.8, 1.5) mm in the control, tamoxifen, and placebo groups, respectively (P=0.069). However, the FTT in the tamoxifen group was less than in the placebo and control groups. The median angiogenesis was 3.5 (3.00, 6.25), 8.00 (6.75, 9.25), and 7.00 (5.50, 8.25) vessels per high-power field for the control, tamoxifen, and placebo groups, respectively (P=0.067). However, the median angiogenesis was higher in the tamoxifen group than in the control group. No significant difference was observed in the mean SSA between the tamoxifen group and the control group (P=0.990).
CONCLUSIONS
Local application of tamoxifen increased angiogenesis and decreased the FTT, with no change in the SSA in burned skin areas. These effects are expected to expedite the wound healing process, reducing contracture and preventing hypertrophic scar and keloid formation.

Keyword

Tamoxifen; Wound healing; Burns; Keloid; Rats

MeSH Terms

Animals
Burns*
Cicatrix
Cicatrix, Hypertrophic
Contracture
Humans
Keloid
Male
Rats*
Rats, Wistar
Skin*
Tamoxifen*
Wound Healing*
Wounds and Injuries*
Tamoxifen