Comparative effects of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and colistin-alone or in combination on burn wound healing in Acinetobacter baumannii infected mice

Burn wounds are one of the most important health problems all over the world because infection after burn can delay wound healing. Treating burn wounds with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is known to improve healing of injured tissue. In addition, colistin is prescribed as an effective treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of G-CSF and colistin alone or in combination with G-CSF on wound healing of Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) infected burns. This study was performed between January 2016 and April 2018. Burn wounds were experimentally induced in 36 mice. The wounds were inoculated with A. baumannii. In a 7-day period, burn wounds in each group were daily treated with subcutaneous injections (0.1 ml) of saline, G-CSF, colistin, and G-CSF plus colistin. After killing the animals, the size of the wound, number of leukocytes in the skin and microbial growth were evaluated. A value of p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Wound healing in the G-CSF plus colistin group was significantly higher than the control group and the G-CSF group (P = 0.023 and P = 0.033, respectively). In G-CSF+colistin group, the number of leukocytes was higher than the control group considerably (P = 0.007). On the 7th day of treatment, number of positive bacterial cultures in the colistin and the G-CSF plus colistin groups was lower than other groups with a significant difference. Concurrent consumption of G-CSF and antibiotics can control burn infection and enhance the immune system towards wound healing.