Effect of Statins on Wound Healing. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Preclinical Evidence.

Abstract

Wound healing is a complex process increasingly compromised by aging and comorbidities. Statins are widely used therapeutic agents and have shown promising pleiotropic effects that may enhance wound repair. Our aim is to examine the effects of statins on wound healing in animal models through a quantitative synthesis of preclinical evidence. A systematic review of PubMed, Web of Science and Embase was performed to identify in vivo preclinical experimental studies comparing statin treatment versus vehicle in mammalian animal models of any age or sex with experimentally induced wounds. Multiple independent, blinded reviewers oversaw the study selection, data extraction and quality assessment, following PRISMA (1), SYRCLE (2) and CAMARADES guidelines. Of 220 abstracts screened, 54 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, and 12 experimental studies published between 2012 and 2026 were included in our meta-analysis. These studies, conducted on mammalian animal models, involved a total of 262 animals and provided 131 comparisons across 14 experiments. Wound closure outcomes were assessed via morphometric analyses between days 9 and 14. Our findings indicate that statin treatment significantly enhances wound size reduction compared to control, with a pooled standardised mean difference (SMD) of 1.79 (95% CI: 0.63-2.95, p = 0.0040). These results provide robust preclinical evidence that statin treatment enhances wound healing in mammalian models. These results support the therapeutic potential of statins in wound care, highlighting the need for further research to elucidate their underlying mechanisms and to facilitate the translation of these preclinical insights into clinical practice.