Wound healing with adhesive zinc tape. An animal experimental study.

Wound healing was studied in rats given a diet with a subnormal zinc content (10 ppm). It is concluded that wound healing is impaired in the zinc deficient group compared with animals given a zinc-supplemented diet (150 ppm). Local supplementation of zinc with adhesive zinc tape treatment did not return wound healing to normal in the zinc deficient animals. Histological differences were observed between wounds treated with adhesive zinc tape and those treated with a gauze sponge. In particular, a more pronounced giant cell formation was observed in the gauze treated wound. Simultaneously these wounds showed peak activities of the alkaline phosphatases. A reduction of wound contraction was found in tape-treated wounds. A change in macrophage and fibroblast function during local zinc treatment is suggested. Some effects of wound healing on zinc metabolism are discussed.