Histometric and histopathological evaluation of the effect of Sertraline following cutaneous surgical trauma in the rat

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are medications prescribed for the treatment of mood disorders including anxiety and depression. These drugs can prevent the development of inflammation and modulate interleukin and interferon production. It can be assumed from these features that the use of SSRIs could have a significant effect on wound healing. The aim of this experimental investigation was to evaluate the effect of sertraline on dermal wound healing in an animal model. In 60 Wistar rats, two circular wounds were made using a biopsy punch on the back of each animal. Rats were assigned to five groups of twelve animals each: Control group; Placebo group and experimental groups of the low, moderate and high dosage of sertraline ointment. Four rats of each group were sacrificed at 3, 7 and 15 days after operation. The shapes of the wounds were copied onto a transparent sheet, the figures were scanned, and the wound areas were calculated using scion image software and statistically analyzed. For histopathological studies, regenerated tissues were cut in the form of square pieces along with normal skin and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The results show that sertraline treatment significantly reduced mean wound length. Morphmetrically, there were statistically significant differences between control, Placebo and experimental groups and there were significant histopathological differences between control, Placebo and experimental groups at the end of the study. The results of this study demonstrated that topical use of sertraline significantly improves healing of cutaneous wounds in the rat.