Excerpt
Methods used: One week after diabetes induced by injection of streptozotocin once, ischemia was induced in the hindlimb of 15 rats by removal of the femoral artery. Two weeks later, they were divided into 2 groups: group A had just the femoral artery removed (n=7), group B had hydrogel bFGF 100 μg injected intramuscularly (n=8). We compared improvement of the local blood flow before and 4weeks after the treatment between group A and B. Summarize results: In histological assessment, the number of capillaries and arterioles around the muscle were seen larger in group B than in group A (group A: 58±13/mm2 vs. group B: 123±14/mm2, P<0.01). Moreover, recovery in limb perfusion as assessed by laser Doppler perfusion imaging were also better in group B than in group A (group A: 73° 10%, group B: 94±8%, P<0.01). Serum bFGF did not significantly increase in both groups before and after treatment. In conclusion, the controlled release system of hydrogel bFGF for topical use facilitated angiogenesis effectively. We believe that this therapy helps preventing limbs from amputation.