The Effects of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) on Palatal Mucoperiosteal Wound Healing in Type I Diabetic Rats

It is established clinically that patients with type I diabetes have a decreased capacity for wound healing. These patients have increased glucose levels that appear to have a negative effect on the cascade of events involved in wound healing. These patients appear to produce less collagen, which disrupts structural integrity and may interfere with the release of growth factors. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous source of growth factors essential for wound healing. Objective: It is our hypothesis that PRP when placed into the palatal mucoperiosteal wounds of diabetic rats, will increase the amount of collagen synthesized, and lead to an increase in tissue tensile strength. Method: For our studies we used fifty Sprague Dawley rats. Twenty five of the rats were made diabetic with an IV injection of streptozotocin at a dose of 55 mg/kg. A linear incision was made across the width of the hard palate of diabetic rats and normal controls. At the time of wounding, the experimental group received 50ul of PRP into the wound and were allowed to heal for 5 and 7 days. The entire palatal mucosa was harvested. A template was used to cut 4mm x 8mm rectangular biopsies into “I ” shapes. These tissues were placed into a universal testing machine and stressed under tension until the specimens separated. Results: Our results show that at 5 days, the ultimate tensile strength of harvested palatal tissue from diabetic rats was half that of healthy rats at 5 days. When PRP was placed into the palatal wound of diabetic rats at the time of wounding, the tensile strength was equal to that of healthy rats 5 days after wounding. Conclusion: Our studies show that PRP has a positive effect on the ultimate tensile strength of newly formed palatal tissue in diabetic rats.