We have developed a simple, cost-effective, and user-friendly mouse burn animal model for creating consistent full-thickness burns. This study will provide researchers with essential tools to facilitate the development of novel treatments for burn injury. Methods used to produce burn surfaces vary among experimental animal models.
However, the technique of burn infliction and produced burn depths are also inconsistent and poorly described in previous studies, which is crucial in determining the severity of the burn and methods of burn treatment. In this protocol, we used a convenient digital heating device to create a chessboard-like burn wound on the mouse dorsum. It provides precise temperature control, enhancing safety and reproducibility compared to other variable techniques, which minimizes animal use and allows for reliable wound healing studies.
To begin, adjust the temperature of the digital heating device to 97 degrees Celsius. Once the mouse is deeply anesthetized, transfer it onto the heated pad in a prone position. Employ has sterilized one milliliter pipette tip with a diameter of nine millimeters to accurately pinpoint the desired wounding sites.
Cover the skin with a previously trimmed sterile drape, leaving the surgical area exposed. Put on heat-resistant gloves and verify the temperature of the digital heating device. Then apply the tip of the heating device to the center of the located wound sites for 10 seconds at 97 degrees Celsius to create six round wounds, each with a diameter of four millimeters.
Next, apply ice to the burn wound to manage potential pain. Place the mouse in a recovery cage, then soften some food pellets with five to 10 drops of drinking water and place them on the cage floor to facilitate feeding. After 24 hours of burn induction, clean all wounds with sterile gauze moistened with saline.
Blot the skin with gauze, and apply a small amount of TKH hydrogel antibacterial gel using a syringe to cover the burn wounds. On specific days post burn induction, mark the wound with the tip of a sterile one milliliter pipette tip and capture an image with a digital camera. After euthanizing the animal, using scissors, isolate the wound site and surrounding skin including the underlying musculature, measuring one by one centimeter.
Microscopic analysis showed complete destruction of the epidermis and full-thickness dermal damage extending to subcutaneous fat and muscle layers. By day three, the wounds were in the inflammatory stage with vasodilation and significant infiltration of inflammatory cells. By day seven, a notable reduction in wound area was observed, and on day 14, granulation tissue formed with dense collagen deposition marking the remodeling stage.
Wound healing abilities were significantly improved in wounds treated with TKH peptide hydrogel as evidenced by smaller wound areas on days seven, 10, and 14 compared to untreated wounds.
