Effect of Topical Opioid Antagonist on Diabetic Wound Healing in Rat Model

Category:Basic Sciences/Biologics, DiabetesIntroduction/Purpose:Approximately 50% of the 170 million people worldwide with diabetes experience complications associated with delayed cutaneous wound healing. The current widely used treatment for DFU is topical platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF); however, it has significant side-effects. Preclinical studies have shown that a small molecular weight opioid receptor antagonist, blocks the interactions between the growth inhibitory peptide Opioid Growth Factor (OGF) and its receptor OGFr and accelerates cell proliferation and enhances angiogenesis and wound closure. The hypothesis of this research is that the topical formulation of opioid receptor antagonist is an effective therapy for healing of cutaneous wounds in diabetic rats, with healing times comparable to the standard care and will promote enhanced cell replication and accelerated angiogenesis.Methods:Fourteen diabetic rats per group with four excisional cutaneous wounds were positioned dorsally on ty...