Brown SA, Coimbra M, Coberly DM, Chao JJ, Rohrich RJ, et al.
Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Date of publication 2004 Jul 1;volume 114(1):237-44.
1. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2004 Jul;114(1):237-44.
Oral nutritional supplementation accelerates skin wound healing: a randomized,
placebo-controlled, double-arm, crossover study.
Brown SA(1), Coimbra M, Coberly DM, Chao JJ, Rohrich RJ.
Author information:
(1)Nancy L. and Perry Bass Advanced Wound Healing and Tissue Regeneration
Laboratory, Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center, Dallas, 75390, USA.
Nutritional therapy is critical for wound healing in people with severe
malnutrition or specific metabolic deficiencies. Medical claims from
manufacturers of many oral supplements are marketed to surgical patients for
decreasing edema, bruising, and discomfort. The effect of supplementing nutrients
on soft-tissue wound healing in otherwise normal, healthy adults is an area of
clinical importance, but little information is available. Proteolytic enzymes
have been reported to moderate the inflammatory cycle and may up-regulate the
healing process. The goal of this study was to perform a clinical trial in
normal, healthy adults that examined the effects of an oral nutritional
supplement (InflammEnz, Enzymes, Inc., Parkville, Mo.) on soft-tissue healing
times. Twenty-six normal, healthy volunteers were recruited into a randomized,
crossover, placebo-controlled, clinical trial consisting of two phases, each
lasting 21 days. In phase I, subjects were subjected to a 3-mm forearm skin
biopsy and randomly received a placebo or oral supplement (four capsules per day
for 7 days). After a 2-week washout period, a second biopsy was performed to
start phase II, with each subject receiving the respective placebo or supplement
capsules. Digital photographs were taken during wound healing in both phases and
analyzed for wound areas (in square millimeters) and perimeters (in millimeters).
Twenty-two subjects completed the clinical trial. On the basis of wound surface
areas, 17 subjects had improved wound healing and five subjects did not respond
or responded only slightly to the supplement treatment. The mean +/- SD healing
time of the subjects responding to supplement-treated wounds was 15 +/- 2.2 days,
compared with 18 +/- 2.5 days for the placebo group. The 17 percent acceleration
of wound-healing time was significant (p < 0.005). In subjects responding to oral
supplements, less redness in the wounds was observed that may have been
associated with less inflammation. The authors' results demonstrate that
InflammEnz oral supplementation accelerated soft-tissue wound healing in 77
percent of normal, healthy subjects studied. The authors' study validates
observations made that this supplement modulates the wound-healing process and
suggests that many patients with minor soft-tissue wounds may benefit from
treatment.
DOI: 10.1097/01.prs.0000128818.28425.52
PMID: 15220599 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
