Objectives: Supa silk is compared with Ethicon as a suture material.

Design: This was a double-blind study, carried out on 60 Spragne-dawly albino rats, randomly assigned to two equal groups. 3/0 silk suture from the Supa and Ethicon companies were used in groups 1 and 2 respectively.

Materials and Methods: A 5-cm ventral midline skin incision was made, then closed, with simple interrupted sutures of either type. Each group was then subdivided into two subgroups. Animals in subgroup I were sacrificed on day 6 for histopathologic examination, and animals in subgroup II, on day 13 for histopathologic and biomechanical examinations. Histopathologic sections (H&E stained) were studied for the percentage of reepithelialization, acanthosis, type of granulation tissue and dermatitis, degree of hyperemia and the presence of giant cells. In biomechanical testing (0-50 kg load cell, strain rate of 2cm/min) ultimate strength, yield strain, ultimate strain, stiffness, and maximum stored energy were measured from load-elongation curves.

Results: On day 6, reepithelialization in group 2 and hyperemia in group 1 was significantly more prominent than the other group (p< 0.05). On day 13, there were no significant differences between the two groups concerning histopathology and biomechanics.

Conclusion: Supa Iranian brand silk is comparable with Ethicon for suturing the skin.