Developing a Simple Burn Model in Rats of Different Ages

This article describes a simple and safe model of partial and full thickness burn injury in rats of different ages, which will be essential in our future burn research to explore the age-related mechanism of wound repair and new therapies for burn injuries. A self-made metal column, which was heated in a boiling water bath, was applied for different time periods to the lower back of rats of different ages in burn creation. Wounds were observed visibly at different time points postburn. Biopsies were obtained and examined at 72-hour postburn to determine the depth of burns. The contact durations producing the desired depth of injury in the rat model under constant temperature and pressure were: 3 seconds (deep second degree) and 5 seconds (third degree) in 1-month-old rats; 3 seconds (superficial second degree), 5 seconds (deep second degree), and 7-9 seconds (third degree) in 2-month-old rats; 3-5 seconds (superficial second degree), 7-9 seconds (deep second degree), and 11-13 seconds (third degree) in 12- and 18-month-old rats. This reliable and reproducible experimental model produces consistent burn injuries in rats of different ages by regulating the contact durations, which will help us to understand the underlying pathophysiology of burn injuries and develop novel therapeutic modalities for burn patients of different ages.