TUESDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) --A novel topical oxygen emulsion which slowly releases oxygen over time has shown promise in the treatment of second-degree burns and acute partial thickness wounds in a pig model, according to research published in Archives of Dermatology in October.
Steven C. Davis, B.S., of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, and colleagues conducted a double-blind, controlled study of a topical oxygen emulsion consisting of a perfluorocarbon-containing supersaturated oxygen suspension. The researchers applied the oxygen-containing emulsion to second-degree burns and partial-thickness wounds induced in pigs and measured time to wound epithelialization in emulsion-treated pigs, pigs treated only with the vehicle, and air-exposed controls.
Topical oxygen emulsion therapy enhanced the rate of epithelialization of second-degree burns and partial thickness wounds compared with the vehicle and air-treated controls, suggesting that oxygen delivered by this system may be beneficial for the management of acute wounds and burns.
"We believe that the oxygen supplied by the emulsion to the wound environment directly promotes cellular repair and the local immune response to speed wound healing. Our findings may have important clinical implications for patients with wounds by providing functional skin at an earlier date to act as a barrier against environmental factors, such as water loss and bacteria invasion," concluded the authors.
The study was partially funded by TherOx Inc., the developer of the topical oxygen emulsion.
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