Evaluation of Hyphecan (1-4,2-acetamide-deoxy-B-D-glucan polymer) on wound healing in a rodent model

Objective: To evaluate the effect of an artificial skin Hyphecan (1-4,2-acetamide-deoxy-B-D-glucan polymer) on wound healing in a rodent model. Materials and Method: The prospective study was conducted at a basic science laboratory at a tertiary teaching hospital. Two 4 cm × 4 cm full-thickness wounds were created on the dorsal surface of 10 Spraque–Dawley rats and covered with Hyphecan and Kaltostat, respectively. Wounds were examined and measured on days 4, 10, 21 and 28, and would continue after day 28 until healed up completely. Punch biopsies (3 mm) were taken on days 4, 10 and 28 for histological examination of the response of healing and repair. Results: Despite the fact that the wound healing rate was similar for both groups on days 4, 10, 21 and 28, the average healing time for the Hyphecan group (29.1 ± 1.7 days) was significantly shorter statistically (P = 0.03) than the Kaltostat group (30.7 ± 2.8 days). Conversely, the marked healing response elicited by Hyphecan on day 4 persisted on days 10 and 28 in contrast to Kaltostat, which had only a mild degree of healing response on days 10 and 28. The study suggests that wounds treated by Hyphecan heal faster than Kaltostat. Conclusion: The findings provide basic scientific evidence supporting the clinical use of Hyphecan in different wounds and might also reduce the cost of wound management as Hyphecan is cheaper than Kaltostat and requires a shorter treatment time.