Collagen Xerogel Thread Associated With Reduced Inflammatory and Fibrotic Histological Changes During Early Urethral Wound Healing in Rats.

Background Early inflammatory and fibrotic responses play important roles in tissue remodeling during wound healing. We developed a novel high-density collagen xerogel thread (CXT) and evaluated its effects on early urethral tissue responses in a rat urethral injury model. Methods A rat urethral incision model was used to compare CXT with conventional absorbable Vicryl® sutures (Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, NJ, USA). Histological evaluation was performed using hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical analyses for alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), and leukocyte common antigen (LCA) on postoperative day 7. Results Compared with Vicryl sutures, CXT was associated with reduced urethral mucosal thickening, lower numbers of CTGF-positive cells and LCA-positive cells, and less prominent stromal α-SMA expression during early wound healing. Conclusions CXT was associated with altered inflammatory and fibrotic tissue responses during early urethral wound healing in rats.