Effect of microamperage stimulation on the rate of wound healing in rats: a histological study
DJ Leffmann,
DA Arnall,
PR Holmgren,
and
MW Cornwall
Group Health Co-operative-Central Hospital, Seattle, WA 98112.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE. This study examined cutaneous wound healing after microamperage stimulation (MS). SUBJECTS. Twelve female Sprague-Dawley rats were studied. METHODS. The treatment (wound reduction) group (n = 6) received 100 microA of current at 0.3 Hz on a 50% duty cycle for 2 hours a day for 14 days. The control group (n = 6) received the same handling and electrode placement, but no current was applied. Wound size was measured daily following each treatment. Histological analysis included measurement of epithelial thickness, vascularity, and fibroblast density from tissue sections taken at the end of the experiment. RESULTS. An analysis of variance showed no significant difference between the two groups with respect to the change in wound size over the 14 treatment days. A series of t tests showed no significant differences between the groups for any of the histological measurements. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION. The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that MS accelerates acute cutaneous wound healing.
