Figure 4.

Effect of C₄‐HSL administration on the wound healing. Wounded rats received C₄‐HSL, 3‐oxo‐C₁₂‐HSL or DMSO at the wound surface. (A) Representative histological views of wounds on day 3. Arrowheads and arrows indicate the original wound edges and re‐epithelialised leading edges, respectively. (B) Re‐epithelialisation extent on day 3. (C) Cellular proliferation in the epidermis on day 3. Arrows indicate PCNA‐positive microvessels. The percentages of PCNA‐positive cells among the 500 cells in the epidermis were calculated (n = 3). (D) Microvessel counts on day 3. Arrows indicate CD31‐positive microvessels. The vascular density/mm² was determined by counting the numbers of positive vessels within six visual fields (n = 3). (E) The number of leukocytes, neutrophils was analysed at 24 hours (**P < 0·01). (F) TNF‐α concentrations in wounded tissue homogenates were measured at 24 hours. Each column represents the mean ± standard deviation (SD). *P < 0·05; NS, not significant.