Effects of rhGM-CSF hydrogel on the healing of residual burn wound surface

Objective To investigate the effects of recombinant human granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor(rhGM-CSF) hydrogel on the healing of residual burn wound surface.Methods One hundred and thirty-eight residual burn wound surfaces were assigned into experimental group and control group(69 each),and randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled and self-controlled clinical trials were conducted.The wound surfaces in experimental group were treated with rhGM-CSF hydrogel,and in control group with placebo,for 21 days.The healing time,therapeutic effects,and the healing rate of the wound surfaces at day 7 and day 14 after treatment were observed.The tissue samples were harvested from the border of the residual wounds from 6 patients on the 7th and 14th day after treatment,and the number of blood capillaries and fibroblasts was counted.Results Nine out of sixty-nine patients with residual burn wounds were excluded from the study,the data of only 60 patients were analyzed.The mean healing time of wounds was 12 days(95%CI 11-13 days) in experimental group,and it was significantly shorter than that in control group(18 days,95%CI 17-19 days,P0.001);meanwhile the therapeutic effects of experimental group was significantly better than that of control group(P0.001).The rate of healing in experimental group was 62%±13% and 95%±10%,respectively,on the 7th and 14th day after treatment,and they were significantly higher than that in control group(46%±11% and 83%±12%,respectively,P0.001).At the 7th and 14th day after treatment,histopathological examination showed that the counts of capillaries(10.3±0.6/HP and 14.5±0.9/HP,respectively) and fibroblasts(143.1±10.3/HP and 137.8±6.9/HP,respectively) in experimental group were significantly higher than those in control group(capillaries: 7.2±0.7 and 10.4±0.8,P0.01;fibroblasts: 110.2±11.7 and 126.4±7.7,P0.01).Conclusions Topical use of rhGM-CSF hydrogel may promote the healing of residual burn wounds,which maybe attributable to the promoting effects of rhGM-CSF on capillary formation and fibroblast proliferation or migration.