Topical effects of nebivolol on wounds in diabetic rats

Objective: Recently, it has reported that nebivolol might be useful in the treatment of diabetes mellitus foot ulcers. The aim of this study was to examine treatment of the wounds in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats with topical nebivolol. Methods: Two 15 x 15 mm-sized wounds were created in 56 streptozotocin-induced rats. A total of 56 diabetic wounds were studied in eight groups (n = 7). No treatment was administered to the first and second groups. The third and fourth groups consisted of diabetic rats that were administered 1:1 mixture of lanolin and vaseline for 7 and 14 days, respectively. Five percent nebivolol plus 1:1 mixture of lanolin and vaseline was administered to rats in the fifth and sixth groups for 7 and 14 days, respectively, and 10% nebivolol plus 1:1 mixture of lanolin and vaseline was administered to rats in the seventh and eighth groups for 7 and 14 days, respectively. On days 7 and 14, wound healing was observed, and the percent of wound healing was determined by measuring its size and histopathologic examination. The ratio was calculated by the formula, healing ratio (%) = 100 x (1-wound area/initial wound area). Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA with Tukey's HSD test and Mann-Whitney U test, using SPSS 15.0 software. Results: On days 7 and 14, rates of wound healing in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth groups were 57.42%, 89.16%, 60.80%, and 91.80%, respectively. Multiple comparison showed that rates of wound healing were significantly higher in rats administered 5% and 10% nebivolol than those in rats administered a mixture of lanolin and vaseline and in the untreated group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Topical nebivolol therapy may be useful for wound healing in diabetic rats. Further studies are needed to support these data. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.