BACKGROUND: In the last 10 years, the use of essential fatty acids (EFA) compounds for the treatment of wounds has increased in Brazil, while there has been reducing indication for the use of sugar. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the response to saline, sugar and EFA on induced wounds in rats. METHODS: A wound of 400 mm2 was produced on the back of each Wistar rat. The rats were divided into three groups, each being treated with either saline, sugar or EFA. All the animals received a closed dressing on the wounds, changed daily. Measures were taken in four moments, and the values of wound area reduction by healing, cellular inflammatory response, collagen ordering and types I and III collagen density were assessed. RESULTS: The wound healing was equal in all the three groups, but sugar promoted an inflammatory response modulation between the 7th and 14th days. On the 20th post-operative day, there were no differences between the three treated groups concerning types I and III collagen. CONCLUSIONS: The wounds healed in the three groups. The sugar group promoted effective cellular inflammatory response modulation. There were no differences between all the treated groups regarding types I and III collagen at the end of this study.
Fatty acids, essential; Pressure ulcer; Skin; Sugar; Wound healing
