Estrogen Accelerates Wound Angiogenesis in Rats

Background and Objective: Angiogenesis is a complex program of several steps and it is tightly regulated by pro- and anti-angiogenic factors. Angiogenesis is one of the key elements in cutaneouswound healing and skin cancers. Estrogen seems to have positive modulating effect on cutaneouswound healing and this effect may be explained by its angiogenic properties. This study aims to investigate the effect of estrogen on cutaneous wound angiogenesis in rats through histologicalcriteria. Materials and Methods: This was an experimental study which was carried out at EsfahanUniversity of Medical Sciences in August 2007. Forty rats were randomly allocated into two groups and an experimental wound was induced in their skin. Wounds in the case group were treated withdaily topical estrogen and gentamicin, while the controls received only topical gentamicin. After 14days of treatment, biopsies were obtained. Results: Evaluation of wounds through a validated histological scoring system revealed significantdifference between control and treated mice. The latter exhibited increased microvasculature and significantly higher scores of angiogenesis. Conclusion: Our study suggests that topical estrogen is able to increase cutaneous wound angiogenesis considering objective histological criteria.

Keywords:

Angiogenesis Inducing Agents , Wound healing , Estrogen