Efficacy of a Tyrothricin-Containing Wound Gel in an Abrasive Wound Model for Superficial Wounds

Background: Topical preparations are a common treatment for
superficialacute wounds, which at the least do not interfere with
healing andideally result in enhanced wound healing irrespective of
microbialcolonization. Objective: To examine the effects of a
topicalantimicrobial gel and its vehicle on the wound healing of
standardized,superficial abrasions. Methods: Thirty-three healthy
volunteers wereenrolled in a double-blinded, randomized,
intraindividual comparisonstudy. Three standardized, superficial
abrasions were induced on theirforearms. A tyrothricin 0.1% gel
(Tyrosur (R) gel; EngelhardArzneimittel GmbH & Co. KG,
Niederdorfelden, Germany) and its vehiclewere randomly applied to
two of the test areas, and one lesion remaineduntreated. Results: A
significant improvement of wound healing was seenwith both
tyrothricin 0.1% gel and its corresponding vehicle in theclinical
assessment. The mean area under the curve (AUC) of woundhealing
scores was the same for both preparations and the
meanreepithelization scores were comparable at all test points over
theentire 12 days. A lower mean AUC representing less
reepithelization wasfound for the untreated test fields.
Conclusion: The use of tyrothricin0.1% gel and its corresponding
vehicle resulted in statisticallysignificant improved wound healing
with an earlier onset of healing inparticular. Based on these
results obtained using an abrasive woundmodel, it can be concluded
that the addition of tyrothricin 0.1% to thegel vehicle did not
interfere with the improved wound healing seen withthe vehicle
alone.