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Effects of Growth Factors and L‐Arginine on Ischemic Skin Flaps in Rats
Author(s) -
WALLS CHARLES M.,
GREGORY CLARE R.,
BECK L. STEVEN,
COOKE JOHN P.,
GRIFFEY STEPHEN M.,
KASS PHIL H.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
veterinary surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1532-950X
pISSN - 0161-3499
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-950x.1995.tb01359.x
Subject(s) - medicine , arginine , endocrinology , dorsum , growth factor , insulin like growth factor , growth hormone , body weight , hormone , amino acid , receptor , anatomy , biochemistry , biology
This study determined the effect of the polypeptide growth factors transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β), insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I), and growth hormone (GH) alone and in combination with dietary L‐Arginine HCL (ARG) on skin flap survival in rats. Caudally based dorsal skin flaps were created in 110 Sprague‐Dawley rats. The rats were randomly assigned into three treatment groups, based on drinking water supplementation. Group 1 (n = 50) received ARG in their drinking water, group 2 (n = 50) received tap water alone, and group 3 (n = 10) received N‐omega‐nitro‐L‐arginine (L‐NA) and hydralazine. Groups 1 and 2 were divided into subgroups of 10 rats each based on treatment with either: TGF‐β, IGF‐I, GH, or IGF‐I + GH. All subgroups that received GH had significantly greater ( P <.0001) median body weight gains when compared with subgroups not receiving GH. L‐arginine HCL when added to IGF‐I negated the positive effects of IGF‐I on both flap survival and weight gain. Although the rats in all subgroups from groups 1 and 2 had an increase in mean percent skin flap survival when compared with the water alone subgroup, only rats receiving IGF‐I, or the combination of ARG with either TGF‐β or GH, had statistically significant enhanced skin flap survival. Rats in group 3 did not show an increase in skin flap survival when compared with the control subgroup.