HISTOLOGICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL EVALUATION IN MICE OF CYANOACRYLATE (HISTOACRYL) AS POSSIBLE REGENERATIVE AGENT TO REPLACE TRADITIONAL SUTURES

Background Traditional sutures, staples and surgical tapes are the most common methods used to close wounds in veterinary patients. However, these methods can induce granuloma and fistulas formation, loose sutures and wound leaks. Lately, tissue adhesives such as cyanoacrylates (Histoacryl®) have become popular, this glue can bond tissues such as endothelium, mucosa, skin, blood and bone rapidly. Studies using cyanoacrylates have shown bond strength, bacteriostatic and hemostatic properties. The objective of this work is to compare the use of n-butyl-cyanoacrylate with non-absorbable sutures in tissue regeneration by histology and microbiological analysis in mice. (All procedures were approved by the USFQ Ethics Committee on Animal Experimentation, Doc# 2020-001). Methods Two cuts of 1 cm were perfomed in the dorsal skin of each mouse: one cut was bonded by simple suture (control), and the other with tissue adhesive (Histoacryl). Albino mice were anesthetized before the surgical procedure; analgesics were provided in the water after the surgery to minimize pain. After 48 hours of the surgical procedure, the mice were euthanized and biopsies of 2 cm2 were collected for each cut. Three mice were used for histological evaluation and two for microbiology tests. Assays were repeated 4 times. For microbiology tests, samples were resuspended in 1 ml of TBS culture broth by vortex. Colony forming units (CFU) were evaluated for two dilutions after incubation on Nutrient Agar for 48 hours. For histological analysis, biopsies were fixed with formaldehyde, cut by a microtome (Leyca RM2155) and stained with trichrome, haematoxylin and eosin. Statistical analysis was performed by Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests using GraphPad Prism software. Results No differences were found in the microbiological and histological analysis. Conclusions The results showed that there is no significant diference between n-butyl-cyanoacrylate and non-absorbable sutures, no increased risk of microbiological contamination or regenerative improvements were shown.