ABSTRACT
The astounding progress in the field of wound care could not have been achieved without the contribution of research conducted at the preclinical level. Human research, albeit the ultimate way of determining the efficacy and safety of a therapeutic modality, presents a number of practical and ethical limitations. Several of the techniques used to evaluate wound healing and reveal the mechanisms of the tested treatments, such as frequent histologic examination of the wound or measurement of the tensile strength, are not readily acceptable in patients. Difficulties also exist in finding patients with similar wounds or having a control wound in the same patient in order to avoid intrapersonal variations in healing. Animal research offers greater wound homogeneity without compliance issues. Information derived from animal research contributes to revealing the mechanisms of normal and delayed healing and excessive scar formation, designing advanced wound treatment agents and dressings, and avoiding unnecessary human testing.
