Comparative Study of Unfractionated Heparins and Low Molecular Weight Heparin on Skin Wound Repair

Aims: Heparin (HP) has aroused interest in the treatment of skin wounds. The HP extraction sources and the chemical diversity of its structural chain result in different clinical responses. In this study, a comparison was made among the effects of unfractionated heparin from bovine (bovHP) and swine (swi.HP) sources and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) on skin lesions treatment.

Study Design: Wounds were induced on the back of Swiss mice using a punch. Then, the wounds were treated with heparins for 3 and 7 days.

Place and Duration of Study: Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Animal Breeding Network and Rodents of the Federal University of Uberlândia, between April 2018 and February 2020.

Methodology: Wound closure was performed with a digital caliper. The inflammatory infiltrate was assessed by the activity of neutrophils and macrophages. Angiogenesis was measured by quantifying blood vessels and measuring hemoglobin. While fibrogenesis was assessed by picrosirius red staining.

Results: None of the heparins had a healing effect. Swi.HP showed delay in wound closure and intensification of the inflammatory process compared to bov.HP. Swine and bovine heparins showed pro-angiogenic activity, although this did not differ between them. Difference between the groups of heparins was observed in relation to the deposition and organization of collagen fibers, with a reduction in fibrogenesis in wounds of the LMWH group compared to the other heparins, especially bov.HP. A better fibrogenic activity was observed for bov.HP.

Conclusion: Thus, we conclude that the source of the heparin used should be considered, as its pharmacological response for wound treatment is quite diverse. Although none of the heparins was able to accelerate wound closure, bov.HP had an anti-inflammatory and pro- fibrogenic effect compared to the other heparins and therefore showed the best response in this experimental model.