The Yin and Yang of the Opioid Growth Regulatory System: Focus on Diabetes—The Lorenz E. Zimmerman Tribute Lecture

Figure 22

Histograms and photomicrographs illustrate the impact of 14 days of treatment with topical application three times daily of NTX or saline dissolved in Neutrogena moisturizing cream on the epithelialization of cutaneous wounds in normal and diabetic (db/db) mice. (a) The epithelium is hyperplastic in the NTX-treated normal and DB mice as illustrated in the histogram of epithelial thickness in normal and db/db unwounded skin. Values represent means ± SEM. Significantly different from normal values at . (b) Histograms of epithelial thickness over the underlying connective tissue in the wound bed in normal and db/db wounded skin treated with NTX or saline dissolved in moisturizing cream (vehicle). Values represent means ± SEM. Data from NTX-treated wounds were compared with vehicle-treated wounds for normal or db/db mice. Significantly different from vehicle-treated specimens at . (c) Photomicrographs of epithelium stained with hematoxylin and eosin permit comparison of the epithelial thickness among normal, diabetic NTX-treated, and control epithelium; bar = 25 µm (derived from [67]).