Histological Survey of the Effect of Granulocyte‑colony‑stimulating Factor (G‑CSF) on Bacterial Translocation and Wound Healing in Burned Mice

Burn wound is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Improving the host’s immune system and removing the infection can be effective in healing wounds caused by burns. Granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) stimulates both the bone marrow to produce granulocytes and the function of neutrophil precursors. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of G-CSF on removing infection and healing wound.

A burn model was used to induce burns in 18 adult Balb/c mice, and their wounds were infected by Acinetobacter baumannii strains. Burned mice were divided into two groups (control and G-CSF) and treated daily by subcutaneous injections of normal saline (0.1 mL) and G-CSF (10 µg/kg). The wound healing process was evaluated by the morphological and histological assessments.

In morphological assay, the mean size of the wounds in the 3rd and 7th days of the treatment was significantly lower in the G-CSF treated group compared to the control group. Some of the histological parameters were evaluated, including the level of inflammation, re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, collagen deposition, the amount of granulation tissue, and fibroblast maturation. The results showed that inflammation was reduced in the G-CSF-treated group, and re-epithelialization and collagen deposition were increased insignificantly compared to the normal saline-treated group. Furthermore, bacterial translocation was reduced significantly in the G-CSF-treated group.

G-CSF enhances wound closure and helps in wound healing by improving the immune system. It has also an anti-inflammatory role and reduces bacterial translocation.