EFFECTS OF MALNUTRITION AND HYPERALIMENTATION ON WOUND-HEALING

Abstract

Effects of malnutrition and hyperalimentation on wound healing were studied in rats. Progressive weight loss occurred in rats given a protein-free diet, and there was a significant reduction in mechanical strength of sutured skin and abdominal wounds in rats starved of protein for 7 wk. There was also a significant, but less pronounced, reduction in tensile strength of colonic anastomoses in severely malnourished rats. Malnourished rats given oral supplements of amino acids for 7 days before and after operation had a consistently positive N balance, and these rats had a significantly higher daily caloric intake than untreated and normal rats. Amino acid therapy was associated with significant improvement in tensile strength and collagen content of abdominal wounds, but it had no measurable effect on healing of skin wounds or colonic anastomoses. Visceral and parietal tissues possibly do not respond in a uniform manner to malnutrition or hyperalimentation.