Effects of Short-Term Lathyrogen Treatment on the Rupture Strength of Healing Wounds

¹ Department of Pathology and Department of Oral Diagnosis and Oral Medicine, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky

Three subcutaneous injections of a 1 M solution of di-beta-aminopropionitrile fumarate on each of 3 consecutive days caused a decrease in the rupture strength of healing skin wounds in young rats. Although this effect was quite pronounced after three injections, no effect was noted after a single injection of the same agent.

Rupture strength in the three-injection experimental wounds was depressed below the level of that seen in the control wound 3 days earlier. It is reasoned that these data would be consistent with the hypothesis that the action of the lathyrogenic agent is mediated by a tissue collagenase but would not provide any degree of proof.

Lathyrogen treatment may stimulate the uptake of sulfate by wound tissue at the stage of healing represented by a 6-day-old wound; however, this cannot be verified by the data available.