Fractal features of rabbit dermal wounds treated with platelet-rich plasma and topical rosuvastatin.

: The healing process comprises a sequence of molecular and cellular events that interact to restore injured tissue. Biomaterials such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) have been widely used to promote healing by better collagen distribution. Studies have also shown that statin-associated biomaterials may improve endothelial function and increase re-epithelialization. When assessing healing, the analysis of collagen architecture is critical. One form of evaluation used to identify structural changes in the skin is fractal dimension (FD) analysis, which facilitates the characterisation of irregular structures on histologic slides, and quantification of existing alterations by an accurate technique that is independent of the evaluator. The aim of the current study was to assess the feasibility of using rosuvastatin (RSV) alone and combined with autologous PRP to analyze collagen fibers by FD analysis. Skin lesions were experimentally induced in adult male rabbits, and were then treated with either sodium chloride solution (control), RSV gel, autologous PRP gel, or RSV gel and autologous PRP gel combined. Thirty-two biopsies of the lesions were obtained, on days 7, 14 and 17. All treatments were associated with reduced FDs at all three time-points. The FDs of the wounds that were treated with RSV and PRP combined were significantly lower on day 7 (P < 0.05), suggesting that the combination may favour the reorganisation of fibres during the initial healing process. The use of FD analysis for collagen evaluation was evidently reliable. More studies are needed, to evaluate collagen and healing associated with RSV and PRP in experimentally induced wounds.