Clinical and histopathological evaluation of phenytoin sodium in treatment of experimental wounds in dog

Phenytoin sodium (as topical) is generally used for the treatment and healing of wounds in human. In this study, we evaluated the clinical and histopathological effects of phenytoin sodium in management of experimental wounds in dog. It was performed on 20 mix breeding dogs. Weights of dogs were almost 25kg.surgical preparation and anesthesia carried out and then surgical wounds were performed by a similar pattern (rectangle shape — 25 x 50 mm2) in the thoracolumbar region. Wounds were divided in two groups: treatment group in the left side and control group in the right side. Postoperative treatment in the phenytoin group was included daily wound irrigation with normal saline and then topical application of phenytoin sodium. But in control group it was included only irrigation with normal saline. Clinical and histopathological evaluations were performed in each group at 7, 14, 21 and 28days after operation. According to results of this study, wound closure was accelerated in the experiment group in compare to control at days 14, 21 and 28 after honey application. Color and consistency of granulation tissue and epithelization were also more improved in experiment group from day 14. From histopathological aspect, in treatment group, the dense connective tissue was developing from the base of the wound and no pus were observed after 3 weeks. In addition, less notrophilic chemotaxis in treatment group were found rather than control group. So phenytoin sodium can be used as a topical substance to accelerate the healing process of the skin wounds.