Background: Burn is one of the major health problems and several reports have focused on platelet rich plasma role in treatment of soft tissue lesions.
Aim: This work aimed to study the histological effect of injectable platelet rich plasma versus its topical application on skin layers (epidermis and dermis) after thermal burn induction in adult male albino rats.
Material and Methods: 60 adult male albino rats were divided into three groups; blood donors group, control and experimental group. The latter was subdivided into subgroups I and II. Subgroup II was subdivided into 3 subgroups. Subgroup IIA: animals were exposed to contact thermal burn without treatment. Subgroup IIB: animals were injected subcutaneously with 0.3 ml of autologous PRP. Subgroup IIC: autologous topical PRP was applied. Skin specimens were obtained at days 7, 14 and 28 post burn and involved in histological and immunohistochemical studies.
Results: The results of this study revealed that, treatment with PRP resulted in early and enhanced regeneration of skin burn injury. This was evidenced by light microscopic examination and morphometric studies. The PRP treated subgroups were manifested with early re-epithelialization, collagen fibers regeneration and enhanced neovascularization with restoration of normal histological features of skin tissue. Injectable PRP provides slightly better results regarding collagen deposition, fibroblasts infiltration with significant increase in angiogenesis than topical PRP causing high vascular density in wounds.
Conclusion: Early interference by PRP injection or topical application enhances wound healing in second degree burn rat model. More future researches are recommended to assess the efficacy of combined injectable and topical PRP in treating burns.