Modification and utility of a rat burn wound model

This study aimed to improve the conventional rat burn wound model and to validate its utility. In total, 60 Sprague-Dawley rats were divided equally into the control and experimental groups. Altogether, 60 burn wound models with zones of stasis were created in each group. Gross visual assessments of the burn wounds were performed at 0, 24, and 48 hours after burn creation. The rates of necrosis in the zones of stasis were calculated, and the blood flow from the wounds was examined. Wound tissues were collected 48 hours after the burn and subjected to hematoxylin and eosin staining to determine whether the models were successfully established. The model success rates were calculated. The success rate of the burn wound models was significantly different between the control group and the experimental group (93.33% [56/60] vs 100%; P = .042). The Cronbach's alpha values and the respective correlation coefficients indicated that the stability of the zones of stasis in the models on the two sides of the spine was higher in the experimental group than in the control group. The standard deviations of the rate of necrosis, blood flow, and density of necrotic cells and apoptosis cell density, and inflammatory factor content in the zones of stasis were smaller in the experimental group than in the control group at 48 hours after model construction. This suggested that the stability of repeated procedures was higher in the experimental group than in the control group. The novel device for creating burns in animal models facilitated the effective creation of zones of stasis for rat burn wound models. Both the model success rate and stability were higher compared with the conventional model construction method. In addition, the use of the novel device can better align with the requirements of self-controlled studies.