Collagen hydrogel dressing for wound healing and angiogenesis in diabetic rat models

To evaluate the effect of collagen gel dressing upon the healing of skin defects and investigate its role in promoting capillary regeneration in diabetic rat models. In total, 160 Sprague-Dawley rats were selected in this study. At 9 weeks after model establishment, 120 rat models were established and randomly divided into the model (n=30), positive control (n=24) and experimental groups (n=25). Full-thickness skin wounds were made on the rat back. The rats in the normal control and model groups were externally treated with collagen gel dressing, and the recombinant human epidermal growth factor gel was administered in the positive control group. The area of wound healing and the quantity of new capillaries were measured. At 7 d after administration, the rats merely in the normal control group showed faster wound healing and became the fastest at 14 d. At 14 d, the non-healing area in the model group was the largest. At 21 d, the non-healing area in the normal control and experimental groups was smaller than those in other two groups, whereas those in the normal control and positive control groups were smaller than those in other two groups at 28 d. The healing area in the experimental group was larger than that in the positive control group at 14 and 21 d, and the quantity of new capillaries in the experimental group was the highest at 7-, 14-and 21-d. Collagen gel dressing can promote the rate and quality of full-thickness wound healing in diabetic rats.