Background and Purpose. This study aimed to evaluate the wound healing activities of Aftamed and
chlorine dioxide gels in
streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Experimental Approach. Forty-eight Sprague Dawley rats were chosen for this study, divided into 4 groups. Diabetes was induced. Two-centimeter-diameter full-thickness skin excision
wounds were created. Animals were topically treated twice daily. Groups 1, the diabetic control group, were treated with 0.2 mL of sterile distilled water. Group 2 served as a reference standard were treated with 0.2 mL of
Intrasite gel. Groups 3 and 4 were treated with 0.2 mL of Aftamed and 0.2 mL of
chlorine dioxide gels respectively. Granulation tissue was excised on the 10th day and processed for histological and biochemical analysis. The
glutathione peroxidase ,
superoxide dismutase activities and the
malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined. Results. Aftamed-treated
wounds exhibited significant increases in
hydroxyproline, cellular proliferation, the number of blood vessels, and the level of
collagen synthesis. Aftamed induced an increase in the
free radical-scavenging
enzyme activity and significantly reduced the lipid peroxidation levels in the
wounds as measured by the reduction in the MDA level. Conclusions. This study showed that Aftamed gel is able to significantly accelerate the process of wound healing in diabetic rats.