Evaluation of the healing process of equine wounds with the use of moxibustion

• Grant number: 18/05969-3
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Cooperation agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Renata Gebara Sampaio Dória
• Grantee: Bianca Moutinho Grizendi
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The skin wound healing is a complex, serial and coordinated process. In equine, the effective arrangement of the several events involved are usually complicated, resulting in chronicity and exuberant granulation tissue formation. Moreover, when wounds are found on their limbs, some elements can negatively affect healing, like constant movement and contamination predisposition. In this sense, there is a constant search for alternative therapeutic sources, like the use of the methods from Chinese Traditional Medicine (CTM). The moxibustion is a technic from CTM used for disease treatment with the use of a herb burning, composed with Artemisia. The main purpose of this work is to evaluate the healing of skin wound in equine with the use of moxibustion. Six equines, divided into CONT and MOXA groups, will be used for surgical skin wound induction on the metacarpophalangeal region and treatment with the use of moxa stick, in order to evaluate the healing times, microscopic and macroscopic effects and expression of the growth factors PDGF-BB and VEGFA. The wounds of the animals from the CONT group will receive diary treatment with water and neutral soap, whereas the wounds of the animals from the MOXA group will be treated diary with water and neutral soap associated to a moxibustion session and cold ashes placement three times a week. The hypothesis is that the moxibustion with the use of moxa stick can reduce the granulation tissue formation and accelerate the healing process, obtaining an alternative, efficient and low cost equine wound treatment. (AU)