A comparative study of the effects of 4-META/MMA-TBB resin and cyanoacrylate on wound healing of skin defects.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the healing process of wounded skin following the application of cyanoacrylate or a 4-(2-methacryloxyethyl) trimellitic anhydride/methyl methacrylate-tributylborane resin (4-META resin). Those materials were applied to skin wound areas in rats, and the regenerating tissues were biopsied and examined at days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14. Paraffin-embedded specimens were sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin or with Azan-Mallory stain. Sections were also immunohistochemically stained with Pan-cytokeratin and CD68 antibodies. In cyanoacrylate-treated wounds, CD68-positive cells were observed in the connective tissue and their number increased up to day 5. The wound surface was completely covered by epithelial tissue at day 14. In 4-META resin-treated wounds, CD68-positive cells appeared in the soft-tissue hybrid layer (STHL) and epithelial tissue had migrated under the STHL by day 5. The wound surface was completely covered by epithelial tissue at day 7. CD68-positive cells were distributed over the entire area of the cyanoacrylate-treated wounds, but accumulated under the STHL in the 4-META resin-treated wounds. In conclusion, the results suggest that covering skin defects with a 4-META resin is an effective strategy to promote wound healing compared to cyanoacrylate.