Debrisan treatment was compared with the use of gauze in an experimental model of open
wounds in the rat. The amounts of exudate absorbed by the gauze and by
Debrisan were measured daily during the post-wounding period and the
myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the exudate was determined. Blood flow, water content and accumulation of the
collagen amino acid hydroxyproline in the granulation tissue were measured on days 3, 5, 7 and 10 post-wounding. The amount of exudate absorbed both by gauze and by
Debrisan reached a peak on post-wounding days 4-5 and was greater in
Debrisan-treated
wounds. MPO activity in the
Debrisan-absorbed exudate, on the other hand, was lower throughout the study period than in the exudate absorbed by gauze. Granulation tissue blood flow and water content reached maximum values on day 7 post-wounding, irrespective of treatment. Blood flows were 39% and 40% lower in the
Debrisan-treated
wounds on post-
wound days 3 and 7, respectively, than in the gauze-treated
wounds, whereas the water contents of the former
wounds were 23% and 15% lower on days 3 and 10, respectively. The
hydroxyproline content of the granulation tissue increased continuously from day 3 to day 10 and was similar in the two
wounds. These results suggest that
Debrisan is more effective than gauze for absorbing
wound exudate, when applied on an openly secreting
wound. In addition, the inflammatory reaction taking place in
Debrisan-treated
wounds seems to be less severe than in
wounds treated with gauze.