Evaluation of Reparative Processes in a Foot Wound Defect Model Under Conditions of Alloxan-Induced Diabetes

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the dynamics of growth factors during healing of an experimental foot wound in laboratory animals with alloxan-induced diabetes in a chronic in vivo model. Materials and methods : The experimental study included 190 male rats weighing 190–250 g, in which diabetes mellitus was induced by alloxan administration, followed by mechanical injury to the tissues of the right hind paw to establish an experimental diabetic foot model. The animals were divided into groups according to the therapeutic intervention (60 animals per group), whereas 10 animals constituted intact group. The main study group received composite collagen treatment, the comparison group was treated with Levomekol ointment, and the control group received no treatment. Plasma levels of VEGF-A164 and IGF-1 were assessed on days 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 after induction of the foot injury. Macroscopic wound healing was also evaluated and documented by photographic recording. Statistical analysis was performed using the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test for multiple-group comparisons, followed by post hoc pairwise comparisons of mean ranks between groups. The Wilcoxon test was also applied. Results: Application of composite collagen (collagen+quercetin) in an experimental diabetic foot model demonstrated that plasma VEGF-A (cytokine) levels in rats of the main study group reached the highest values (7.40 and 8.31 pg/mL) on days 3 and 7 of the experiment, compared with the other animal groups. This finding indicates a positive stimulatory effect of the composite material on tissue regeneration through enhanced regulation of angiogenesis. In the experimental diabetic foot model, plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in rats of the main study group reached 92.15 and 105.15 ng/mL on days 7 and 14 of the experiment, respectively, demonstrating the pronounced reparative effect of composite collagen (collagen + quercetin) on tissue growth. Conclusion : Treatment of diabetic foot wound defects with composite collagen (collagen + quercetin) demonstrated that acute exudative inflammation around the wound regressed earlier (by day 7) compared with the other groups. A statistically significant increase in VEGF-A and IGF-1 levels in the blood of animals from the main study group indicated a positive effect of the investigated material on growth factors involved in wound healing. The achievement of normal values for these parameters by the end of the experiment indicates its effectiveness, but the fact of normalization itself requires a deeper study of the influence of these factors on wound healing processes in the setting of diabetes mellitus.