Background & objective: Docetaxel extravasating into the surrounding tissues may lead to severe skin damage. No guideline for handling docetaxel extravasation has been proposed till now. This study was to explore the efficacy of chitosan and hyaluronidase on skin damage caused by docetaxel extravasation in a rat model.
Methods: A docetaxel extravasation model was established in both lower extremities of 30 Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were divided into 6 groups and received chitosan embrocation, hyaluronidase injection, hyaluronidase injection plus chitosan embrocation, saline embrocation, or saline injection, or received no treatment as control. The occurrence rate and extent of skin damage, and the healing time were observed and compared.
Results: The occurrence rate of skin damage was significantly lower in hyaluronidase group and hyaluronidase plus chitosan group than in chitosan group, saline embrocation group, saline injection group, and control group (30% and 20% vs. 90%, 100%, 90% and 100%, P<0.05). The healing time was significantly shorter in hyaluronidase group and hyaluronidase plus chitosan group than in chitosan group, saline embrocation group, saline injection group, and control group [(12.00+/-3.00) days and (9.50+/-2.12) days vs. (18.33+/-2.00) days, (23.70+/-2.41) days, (18.44+/-2.01) days and (25.70+/-2.26) days, P<0.01], and was significantly shorter in chitosan group than in saline embrocation group and control group (P<0.01).
Conclusions: Hyaluronidase alone or hyaluronidase plus chitosan could decrease the occurrence rate of skin damage caused by docetaxel extravasation in rats, and shorten the healing time. Chitosan embrocation can improve the damage healing, but cannot decrease the occurrence rate of skin damage.