Glucan improves impaired wound healing in diabetic rats .

 Purpose. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a contributing factor to impaired wound healing in humans. A large body of evidence indicates that the diabetic state is associated with delayed or reduced wound repair capacity. The present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of glucan on improving abdominal wall wound healing in rats with DM.Ninety-six female, Sprague-Dawley rats that weighed between 250 g and 300 g were used. A laparotomy was performed on all of the rats on the 14th day. Twenty-four healthy rats (group 1) served as the control. Streptozotocin was used to induce DM in groups 2 and 3 (n = 48). Rats in group 3 received glucan (n = 24). Rats in group 4 were not rendered with DM but received glucan (n = 24). The sutures were removed and abdominal bursting pressure was measured and recorded on the seventh postoperative day for all of the groups. Tissue samples were taken from the incision line for histopathological evaluation and hydroxyproline measurement.In group 2, the bursting pressure was significantly lower than in groups 1, 3, and 4; the hydroxyproline content and histopathological evaluations also supported these findings.These results demonstrate that glucan improves impaired wound healing in rats with DM. .