Simvastatin improves incisional wound healing in a rat model: An experimental study

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of simvastatin on the heal-ing process of abdominal wall wounds in rats. Methods. The study was performed with adult female Wistar-Albino rats. Control group (n = 20) rats were fed standard laboratory diet until 12 hours before sur-gery. Study group (n = 20) rats received oral simvastatin therapy with an orogastric tube (10 mg/kg once a day) for 7 days until 12 hours before surgery. Each rat was anesthetized, and a 4 cm-long midline laparotomy was performed. Ten animals from each group were killed at postoperative days (PODs) 7 and 14. Breaking strength analysis was measured, and the abdominal incision wounds were examined histolog-ically. Results. Hydroxyproline levels and tensile strength of abdominal fascia were significantly higher in the study group on PODs 7 and 14 compared to the control group. The granulation tissue fibroblast matu-ration scores on POD 7, and both collagen deposition scores and neo-vascularization scores on PODs 7 and 14, were found to be statistically significantly higher in the simvastatin treatment group compared to the control group, based on the results of the histologic tissue examina-tions. Conclusion. Simvastatin can be used as a supporting therapy in wound healing.