Data from: Wound healing splinting devices with improved wound access and application speed

With the goal of studying skin wound healing and testing new drug treatments to enhance wound healing in rodent models, there is a clear need for improved splinting techniques to increase surgical efficiency and support routine wound monitoring. Splinted wound healing models humanize wound healing in rodents to prevent contraction and instead heal through granulation tissue deposition, increasing the relevance to human wound healing. Current technologies require suturing and heavy wrapping leading to splint failure and cumbersome monitoring of the wound. Here, we developed a splint with resealable cap system that provides ease of access for wound inspection, therapeutic treatment delivery, and routine wound imaging without the need unwrap and wrap the animal. Meanwhile, to overcome the challenges associated with suturing, we also developed adherent splints that can be applied to both hairless or haired mice with minimal wrapping. Both technologies are expected to improve and encourage the adoption of splinted wound healing models.

为开展皮肤伤口愈合研究，并测试可提升啮齿类动物模型伤口愈合效果的新型药物疗法，当前亟需优化的夹板固定技术，以提升手术效率并支持常规伤口监测工作。夹板固定伤口愈合模型可使啮齿类动物的伤口愈合过程更贴近人类生理过程，避免伤口收缩，转而通过肉芽组织沉积完成愈合，提升了该模型与人类伤口愈合的相关性。现有技术需通过缝合与多层包扎固定夹板，易导致夹板脱落失效，且伤口监测操作繁琐费力。本研究开发了一款带有可重新密封顶盖的夹板系统，无需对实验动物进行拆卸包扎与重新固定，即可便捷开展伤口检视、治疗给药及常规伤口成像操作。同时，为解决缝合操作带来的技术难题，本研究还开发了粘性夹板，仅需少量包扎即可应用于无毛小鼠及有毛小鼠。上述两种技术均有望优化夹板固定伤口愈合模型的使用体验，并推动该模型的科研应用普及。