Fig 1.
A) Wound arrangement and B) treatment assignment on the back of pigs.
Fig 2.
Wound closure shows significant benefits of hydrogel treatment over comparison dressing.
A) Gilman parameter analysis. Letters denotes significance by GLM for ANOVA at each time point used as a repeated measure, (p < 0.05). Mean+/-SD, n = 3 (pigs), s = 4 (wounds/region) wounds for all groups. B) Wound pictures at Day 14 and Day 21.
Fig 3.
Free hydroxyproline concentration changes in wound samples measured by LC-MS/MS analysis.
Regions are denoted as Cephalad (Ceph), middle (Mid), and Caudal (Caud). * denotes significance by one factor ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc, (p < 0.05). Mean+/-SD, n = 3 (pigs), s = 2 (wounds/region).
Fig 4.
Total hydroxyproline content per 1 mg of digested wound tissue measured by hydroxyproline assay at day 21.
* denotes significance by ANOVA with t-test within regions, (p < 0.05). Mean+/-SD, n = 3 (pigs), s = 2 (wounds/region).
Fig 5.
Hematoxylin and Eosin staining of wound tissue sections showing re-epithelialization.
* denotes significance by one factor ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc, (p < 0.05) and *** denotes significance by one factor ANOVA, (p < 0.01). Mean+/-SD, n = 3 (pigs), s = 4 (wounds/region). The dotted line on the representative images demonstrates the length of epithelial layer from the edge of the wound to the tip of epithelial tongue. Longer epithelial tongue shows better closure and more migration of keratinocytes. Scale bar is 200 μm.
Fig 6.
Picrosirius Red staining on wound tissue sections shows uniformly organized collagen deposition.
A) Picrosirius red stained tissue images. B) % Area of collagen in tissue sample. C) Dispersion of collagen fiber orientation/directionality. Letters denote significance by ANOVA, (p < 0.05); n = 3 (wounds/treatment) for both collagen area and dispersion.
Fig 7.
Oxygenated hydrogel treatments may help sustain neovascularization.
A) H&E staining reveals circulating blood cells (arrows) in capillaries (circled). B) Von Willebrand factor immunostaining on wound tissue sections to mark (arrows) newly formed capillaries. Representative images for all wound regions.
Fig 8.
Cytokeratins Type I and II immunostaining shows MACF + O2 dressings may improve regulation of both cytokeratins suggesting regenerative epithelialization by the maturation of keratinocytes in later stages.
Stained cells are dark brown in color. Representative images for all wound regions.