Figure 1.

Diagram illustrating the experimental groups used in this work. In all groups, flaps were intravascularly injected with a 100-µl solution of recombinant rat Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A that was left to act for 90 min. In the NaCl group, before closing the surgical wounds, one milliliter of a 0.9% sodium chloride solution was instilled under the flap into the vicinity of the silicone catheter segments. In the PA group, one milliliter of a 0.9% sodium chloride solution containing 10⁵ CFU Pseudomonas aeruginosa was instilled under the flap into the vicinity of the silicone catheter segments. In the GFP, BD-2, BD-3 and BD-2 + BD-3 groups, besides the procedure described for the PA group, a solution containing a lentivirus coding for Green fluorescent protein, human β-defensin 2, human β-defensin 3 and human β-defensins 2 and 3 was injected in the flap’s vessels, respectively.