Role of transforming growth factor-beta and epidermal growth factor in the wound-healing process: an in vivo biomechanical evaluation.

The purpose of this study was to assess and evaluate the role of transforming growth factor-beta(1), epidermal growth factor, and their respective carriers (collagen and liposomes) in the early phases of the wound-healing process in linear incision wounds; we used an in vivo biomechanical testing system. One hundred twenty specific pathogen-free male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five experimental groups (n = 24), including one group receiving no treatment at all. Each animal received one abdominal midline incision. At 3 and 5 days after wounding, 12 animals per group were randomly selected for in vivo biomechanical evaluation. Specimens were also randomly obtained from nondisrupted tissues for histologic analysis. Statistical analysis comparing groups revealed that transforming growth factor-beta(1) significantly increased wound strength at day 5, and liposomes decreased wound strength at day 3. There were no other significant differences among groups for each of the time intervals studied. Our results suggest that in vivo biomechanical evaluation of tissue response to injury and treatments will add new dimension to future studies of skin and wound healing.