Muscle wasting is a serious burn complication. The possible protective impact of hypertonic saline vs. ringer lactate on muscle wasting and wound healing in a rat burn model was investigated.
Rats were divided into; control rats received normal saline, untreated burn rats, ringer lactate treated burn rats & hypertonic saline treated burn rats received normal saline, ringer lactate or hypertonic saline, respectively after induction of burn. After 18 hours, serum levels of substance P, tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were measured. Wound healing was assessed after 2, 4, and 6 weeks. At the end of the 6th week, gastrocnemius muscle weight and performance, transforming growth factor (TGF-β), collagen type I, forkhead box transcription factors O (FOXO) gene expression and histopathological examination were done. Hypertonic saline treatment significantly lowered substance P, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-2 with elevated IL 10, improved muscle weight and performance, improved wound healing, reduced TGF ß, collagen I and FOXO genes compared with ringer lactate treatment. Histopathological findings supported these results.
Early use of hypertonic saline in burn showed a more promising effect on the improvement of muscle performance and skin regeneration than ringer lactate solution does.