Effect of phenytoin and/or beta-aminoproprionitrile on a surgically induced periosteal wound.

Phenytoin has a beneficial effect on wound healing and on the healing of bone fractures, while beta-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) has an adverse effect on both. BAPN causes what appears to be a repair response in the periosteum at sites of muscle attachment, but phenytoin does not alter that response. The effect of phenytoin and/or BAPN on the repair of a surgically induced periosteal wound at the insertion of the adductor longus and pectineus muscles was studied in rats at 7 days post-wounding. Phenytoin facilitated and BAPN exacerbated the repair process, as indicated by the size of the periosteal response. Phenytoin increased the percentage of bone present in the responses, and both phenytoin and BAPN reduced the amount of cartilage present. The possible role of inflammation in obtaining the beneficial effects of phenytoin in wound healing is discussed.