The Effect of Melatonin on Nasal Septal Wound Healing in an Experimental Animal Model

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of our study was to examine the effect of melatonin (MLT) on wound healing in the nasal septum. Methods: Twenty-two Sprague–Dawley rats of the male sex were included in this experimental study. Nasal septal perforation (NSP), about two millimeters in diameter, was formed in each rat. Melatonin was applied to the subjects in the study group and saline was applied to the subjects in the control group once a day for 14 days. On day 14, the rats were sacrificed and the nasal septums of the subjects were resected for pathological evaluation. In the NSP area, degeneration and regeneration of nasal septal epithelium, degeneration and regeneration of the septal cartilage, number of cells involved in wound healing such as acute inflammatory cells (leukocytes), fibroblast, eosinophil, and giant cell, capillary vessel intensity, granulation tissue formation, collagen intensity parameters were evaluated histopathologically. The macroscopic size and histopathologic examination results of NSPs were statistically analyzed. Results: In the MLT group, the epithelium regeneration, the cartilage regeneration, fibroblast number, collagen density, vascularity, and granulation formation were significantly higher, and the epithelial degeneration and acute inflammatory cells density were significantly lower, in the NSP area (p<0.05). In addition, the macroscopic healing was significantly higher in the MLT group (p= 0.044, p<0.05) Conclusion: The local application of melatonin accelerates nasal septal wound healing. With this feature, melatonin may use to prevent the formation of NSP.

Effect of basic fibroblast growth factor with collagen/gelatin fixture in a rabbit model of nasal septum perforation

“…Thus, reducing the size of the perforation may lead to symptom improvement. Therefore, several topical agents have been investigated for the healing of perforations in a rat or rabbit model [ [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] ]. However, effects vary, and no consensus has been reached regarding which agent and method are considered effective.…”