Originally Published: WWW.WOUNDCAREJOURNAL.COM
ADVANCES IN SKIN & WOUND CARE & VOL. 19 NO. 6, PP 324-327
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Authors:
Refaat B. Karim, MD, PhD; Beatriz L.R. Brito, MD; Richard P. Dutrieux, MD; Fernanda P. Lassance, PhD;
and J. Joris Hage, MD, PhD
Summary:
This report describes a phase II feasibility study involving four patients with non-healing wounds to evaluate the assessment of fibroblast matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression as an indicator of wound healing. The patients’ wounds were treated with a dressing containing oak bark extract (DerMax).
The study found that therapy-induced wound healing and immunohistochemical measurements of MMP-2 expression paralleled the clinical characteristics of wound healing. Initially, non-healing wounds showed high MMP-2 expression. After 4 to 6 weeks of DerMax treatment, clinical and histological improvements (decreased wound size, epithelialization, reduced inflammation) were observed, which correlated with a significant decrease in fibroblast MMP-2 expression.
The conclusion is that MMP-2 expression offers a reliable indicator for clinical wound healing induced by DerMax treatment. The authors suggest that this assessment could guide clinical treatment and minimize observer bias, though further study with other therapeutics and wound conditions is needed.
