Abstract

Very few options exist for the treatment of cutaneous wounds in fish. The application and persistence of topical cutaneous preparations is obviously challenging in animals immersed in water. A mix of resin-based gel (Polyox™ WSR-301) containing misoprostol, a synthetic prostaglandin E1 analog, and phenytoin, a healing promoter, has recently been proposed for the treatment of dermal ulcers in fish. The effectiveness of this treatment has not been experimentally assessed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of this preparation on healing of experimentally created wounds in a controlled setting. Four brook trout (housed in 12°C water with 5 g/L of NaCl) were used for this pilot study. Three cutaneous wounds were created on each side of each fish using an 8 mm biopsy punch. The following treatments were applied on each fish every five days for 11 weeks: one wound was covered with misoprostol 0.024%/phenytoin 2% gel, one with misoprostol 0.024% gel, one with phenytoin 2% gel, and one with the gel only, whereas two wounds were left untreated as control. Maximal speed of wound retraction and time at 50% retraction were calculated. No difference was observed in neither the speed nor the quality of wound healing between the treatment groups. Consequently, we were not able to document any beneficial propriety of this treatment in the model used. Interestingly, the speed of wound healing was affected by the wound location on the fish (healing of posterior wounds slower and healing faster on the right side).

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the Fonds en santé des animaux de compagnie (Université de Montréal) and the Aquarium du Québec. We would like to thank the veterinary technicians who participated to this project for their valuable assistance.

* Presenting author