A Novel Role of Hydrogen Sulfide in wound healing and a new approach to wound dressing in rat model

Abstract

The present study investigated the role of H2S in skin wound healing in rats.Square wounds were made on the dorsal surface of the rats; the liver and wounded skin exhibited enhanced H2S synthesizing activity. Pretreatment with DL-propargylglycine (PAG), an inhibitor of cystathionine-N3-lyase (synthesize H2S from L-cysteine), significantly and dose-dependently reduced H2S synthesizing activity in both skin and liver, and more importantly shortened the time for wound repair. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzyme activity (indicator of inflammation) increased in wounded skin, and PAG administration significantly reduced MPO activity in wounded skin compared to non-treated animals. Histological analysis also revealed that aggregated fibroblast-like cells were noted in rats pretreated with PAG. The inhibition of H2S synthesizing activity effectively reduced skin inflammation and shortened healing time in these animals thereby suggesting a role for H2S in wound healing.