Preventive and therapeutic effect of lidocaine on early progressive deep second degree burn wound

Objective To study the preventive and therapeutic effect of lidocaine on early progressive deep second degree burn wound. Methods Wistar rats were divided into control group and treatment group. Rats in the treatment group were treated with local lidocaine gel, rats in the control group received placebo. Na+-K+-ATPase and myeloperoxidase（MPO） activity and succinate dehydrogenase（SDH） and malonaldehyde（MDA） level in wound tissue were measured. HE and immunohistochemical staining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen （PCNA） were performed to show the degree of wound tissue necrosis. Results In the control and treatment groups, the SDH and Na-K-ATPase activity reached the lowest at 24h after burn, and then gradually increased, but it was still much lower than their normal activity. Twenty-four hours after burn, the SDH and Na-K-ATPase activity was higher in the treatment group than in the control group （P＜0.05）. The MPO activity reached its peak in control group at 24h and in the treatment group at 48h after burn, respectively. Then, the MPO activity decreased in the two groups declined, but it was still higher than its normal activity. The peak MPO level was higher in the control group than in the treatment group（P＜0.05）. The MDA level in the two groups increased from 2h to 72h after burn. The MDA level was higher in the control group than in the treatment group（P＜0.05）. HE and immunohistochemical staining for PCNA showed that the early burn wound was milder and the proliferation activity of burn wound tissue was better in the treatment group than in the control group. Conclusion Topical application of lidocaine can prevent early progressive burn wound. Its mechanism may be related with the inhibition of white blood cell infiltration, alleviation of oxidized injury, and improvement in tissue vitality.