The ideal dressing material is bio-inert and keeps the
wound site moist. It is equally important that no regenerative tissue is peeled off on the removal of the dressing.
2-Methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) has a
phospholipid polar group that mimics a biomembrane. We prepared poly [MPC-co-n-
dodecyl methacrylate (DMA)] (PMD), using conventional radical polymerization with
2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator, and coated it on
polyurethane (PU;
Tecoflex 60 Thermedics Inc.) membrane. Full-thickness
surgical wounds were made on the dorsal skin of rats and wound healing was compared under the following three conditions: air-exposed control (no dressing), PU dressing, and PMD dressing. At 3, 4 and 7 days after the operation, the
wound sizes of the PMD dressings were smaller than the non-dressed
wound, and at 6 and 7 days after the operation, the
wound sizes of PU dressing were smaller than that of the air-exposed group. But there were no significant difference between the PMD dressing group and PU dressing group. Histologically, scab formation was not observed on the PU or PMD-dressed
wounds. However, in the air-exposed control, a scab was formed and re-epithelialization of the
wound site was prevented. Additionally, no damage was observed in the histological section of PMD dressed
wound after the
wound was cured. These results indicate that PMD dressing (PMD-coated PU membrane) has the potential to provide an inert environment for wound healing as well as PU.