Polypropylene Mesh Enhanced Healing of Large Metacarpal Wounds in Donkeys: Gross and Histopathological Insights

Abstract

Wounds of the distal limb in equines are restored after a long period with the development of excessive granulation tissues and poor wound contraction and re-epithelialization. Although, the usage of mesh implantation has been emerged in hernioplasty in animals and humans, its effects on treatment of distal limb wounds in equines are still undefined. Hence, this study was intended to inspect the impact of polypropylene mesh application on healing of large-sized metacarpal skin wounds in donkeys through gross and histopathological investigations on days 28, 56, and 84 post-wounds induction. The results revealed that granulation tissues formed over the outer surface of the polypropylene mesh and emerged from the pores of the polypropylene mesh. Re-epithelialization from the four sides of the wound in addition to wound contraction induced a significant reduction in the wound size compared to the control group. Histopathological results revealed that the healing process was superior in mesh-implanted wounds through promoting re-epithelialization, neovascularization, fibroblast proliferation, collagen maturation, and reduced scar formation. In conclusion, the polypropylene mesh was beneficial in accelerating the healing process through enhancing epithelialization, properly limiting and regulating exaggerated hyper granulation tissues, and promoting the formation of healthy skin suggesting its promising application for metacarpal skin wounds of donkeys.