ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Bowel perforation (BP) occurs as the complication of many gastrointestinal problems. Omental patch (OP) is one of the methods to place omentum flaps in the perforated area. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may increase regeneration process in all tissues. AIM: to demonstrate the role of MSC in accelerating of wound healing process by analyzing fibroblast and collagen appearance in perforated bowel conditions. METHODS: Using a BP rabbit model, 18 rabbit were randomly assigned into three groups: combination of umbilical cord (UC)-MSCs injection and OP (T1), OP only (T2) and vehicle control (Veh). Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson's trichrome staining were performed to analyze the level of fibroblast and collagen. Wound length were measured using standardized caliper. RESULTS: The study showed a significant (P<0.05) increase of fibroblast and collagen amount on T1 and T2, in which T1 was higher than T2. This result was also followed by the decrease of wound length. CONCLUSION: The combination of MSCs and OP-sutured in perforated bowel are better to accelerate wound healing than OP only in BP cases.