J Appl Biomed 15:307-312, 2017 | DOI: 10.1016/j.jab.2017.03.001

Effects of Shen-Fu injection on random skin flap survival in rats

Lin Dingsheng^*, Wang Long, Jin Zhicheng, Cai Leyi

Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Department of Hand Surgery, Wenzhou, China

Objective
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Shen-Fu injection treatment on skin flap survival in an experimental random pattern skin flap model in rats.
Materials and methods
Ninety male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to the SFI-treated groups and normal saline-treated (control) group. SFI (10 or 20 ml/kg) or normal saline (10 ml/kg) were administered intraperitoneally once daily. On postoperative day 2, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and IL-6 were evaluated. Besides, flap survival rate, tissue edema, mean vessel densities, number of neutrophil, flap angiography and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression were examined on day 7.
Results
Compared with the control group, the mean survival area in SFI groups were significantly larger showing a possible dose-dependent effect of SFI. SOD activity was increased significantly, as well as the VEGF expression. MDA level, in the test group, however, was decreased. The hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained slices revealed that SFI had the angiogenesis promotion effect, meantime inflammation was clearly inhibited in the SFI groups.
Conclusion
This study showed that intraperitoneally administered SFI significantly improved random skin flap survival in rats.

Keywords: Shen-Fu injection; Random pattern skin flap; VEGF; Rat; SOD

Received: December 19, 2016; Accepted: March 2, 2017; Published: November 1, 2017  Show citation