Topical atorvastatin in the treatment of diabetic wounds.

Background: Currently, it is reported that statins may be useful in the treatment of diabetes mellitus foot ulceration. The aim of this study was to evaluate treatment of the wounds in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats with local atorvastatin.

Methods: Two 15 x 15 mm-sized wounds were created in 28 streptozotocin-induced rats. A total of 56 diabetic wounds were studied in 8 groups (n = 7). No treatment was administered in the first and second groups, which lasted for 7 and 14 days, respectively. Third and fourth groups consisted of diabetic rats that were administered 1:1 mixture of lanolin and vaseline therapy for 7 and 14 days, respectively. One percent statin plus 1:1 mixture of lanolin and vaseline was used in the fifth and sixth groups for 7 and 14 days, respectively; and in seventh and eighth groups, 5% statin plus 1:1 mixture of lanolin and vaseline therapy was used for 7 and 14 days, respectively. On the 7th and 14th days, state of the wound healing was observed, and the percent of wound healing was determined by measuring its size and by performing a histopathologic study. The statistical analyses were performed by Mann-Whitney U test, using SPSS 14.0 software.

Results: On the 14th day, the rates of wound healing in the first, second, third, and fourth groups were 14%, 40%, 96.59%, and 96.51%, respectively. This ratio was calculated by the formula healing ratio (%) = 100 x (1-wound area/initial wound area). Accordingly, in the multiple comparisons, the rates of wound healing were found to be significantly higher in the diabetic rat groups administered 1% and 5% atorvastatin compared with those administered a mixture of lanolin-vaseline and the untreated group (for comparison each one P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Local atorvastatin therapy may be useful for healing the wounds in diabetic rats. Further clinical and experimental studies are needed to confirm these results.