Effects of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor on random flap healing and immune profile in rats with impaired wound healing by glucocorticoids

Wound healing involves inflammation, cell proliferation, matrix deposition, and tissue remodeling. Priming the tissue to be incised with proinflammatory cytokines offers a new approach to wound healing. This has been studied mostly in incisional wounds till now. This study was designed to investigate the role of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) priming of planned incision lines in random flaps in rats with impaired wound healing due to glucocorticoid administration, and immune profiles of rats were also evaluated. GM-CSF priming of incision lines in immunosuppressed rats was shown to improve the wound healing parameters, hydroxyproline levels, breaking strength, flap survival, and immune profile, although all of the parameters were somewhat lower than those of control group. The findings of this study suggest that wound healing can be accelerated and thus morbidity lowered by making use of the immunomodulator effects of GM-CSF in cases where wound healing is impaired due to systemic disease or drug use and flap reconstruction is necessary.