Table 4.
Wound-healing effects of chitosan preparations: a summary of animal studies.
| Chitosan preparations | Models of wound | Animal species | Major results/conclusions | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton-fiber chitosan | Open skin wound | Dog | Chitosan accelerated the infiltration of PMN cells and the production of collagen by fibroblasts | [31] |
| Chitosan power | Open skin wound | Dog | Re-epithelialization tended to be greater; fewer number of inflammatory cells; fewer rete ridges were observed | [44] |
| Asymmetric chitosan membrane | Open skin wound | Rat | Wounds were hemostatic and healed quickly. Histological examination confirmed that the epithelialization rate was increased and the deposition of collagen in the dermis was well organized | [45] |
| Chitosan acetate bandage | Open skin wound | Mouse | Chitosan acetate bandage reduced the number of inflammatory cells in the wound, and had an overall beneficial effect on wound healing, especially during the early period | [46] |
| NTCAS | Open skin wound | Rat | NTCAS showed a steady level of TNF-α, while the IL-6 level reached a peak on day 7. In addition, NTCAS showed better and faster recovery than the other groups | [47] |
| Chitosan-alginate polyelectrolyte complex | Incisional skin wound | Rat | Accelerated healing of incision wounds; an excellent remodeling phase with organized thicker collagen bundles and mature fibroblasts; chitosan-alginate PEC membranes were nontoxic towards fibroblast cells | [48] |
| Chitosan green tea polyphenol complex | Incisional skin wound | Rat | Chitosan complex significantly enhanced the breaking strength in the wound | [49] |
| Laser-activated chitosan adhesive | Surgical wound | Rat | Chitosan adhesives successfully repaired intestine tissue, attaining the maximum repair strength at the laser power of 120 mW | [50] |
| Chitosan powder | Burn | Rat | The burn degree of the chitosan-treated group was less severe than the control group, and chitosan greatly prevented the extension of burns in early phase | [51] |
| Chitosan | Burn | Rat | Burns treated with high-molecular-weight chitosan had significantly more epithelial tissue, the best re-epithelialization and the fastest wound closure; advanced granulation tissue formation and epithelialization in wounds | [40] |
| Chitosan gel with 1% silver sulfadiazine | Burn | Rat | Higher fibroblast production and a better angiogenesis; the presence of silver sulfadiazine in the chitosan gel does not seem to contribute to the epithelialization process | [36] |
| Chitosan hydrogel | Burn | Rat | Promotes cell adhesion and proliferation; noncytotoxic; smaller wound bed; lack of a reactive or a granulomatous inflammatory reaction in skin lesions; and the absence of pathological abnormalities in the organs obtained by necropsy | [52] |
| Bilayered chitosan hydrogel | Burn | Dog | Well tolerated and promoted a good tissue regeneration; induced inflammatory cell migration and angiogenic activity | [53] |
| Chitosan | Subcutaneous wound | Rat | Significantly delayed the appearance of macrophages; reduced capillary ingrowth, fibroblast infiltration and mature collagen fiber deposition; significantly reduced amounts of collagen deposited | [54] |
| Granulated chitosan suspension | Abscess | Dog | Faster wound healing; abundant vascularization | [55] |
| Chitosan-dextran derivative gel | Mucosal wound | Sheep | Significantly decreased lateral nasal wall and ethmoidal adhesions; greater percentage of re-epithelialization | [56] |
| Chitosan | Urogenital Wound | Dog | No adverse effect on urogenital wound healing; a decrease in fibrosis was seen | [57] |
| Chitosan | Central corneal wound | Rabbit | No apparent effect on wound healing | [58] |
| Gelatin-chitosan gel | Wound in liver tissue | Rat | More efficient in inducing fibrin formation and vascularization | [59] |
| Chitosan-alginate scaffolds | Spine cord wound | Rat | Higher functional recovery score of hind limbs | [60] |
NTCAS: Nano-titanium oxide-chitosan; PEC: Polyelectrolyte complex; PMN: Polymorphonuclear neutrophil.