OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficiency of recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) on burn wound healing and to explore the effective density of the ointments. METHODS: A total of 120 cases of burn in superficial II degree and profound II degree were randomly divided into 2 groups. In the first group of 15 cases of superficial II degree, the wounds were treated by rhEGF ointments of different density, 0.5 microgram/g, 10 micrograms/g and 50 micrograms/g, to screen out the effective density. And in the other 105 cases of the second group, optimal density of the ointments based on the result of the first group were employed to treat the burn wound in superficial II degree and profound II degree, with the self-corresponding wounds of the same degree as control, to study the efficiency of rhEGF on wound healing, according to the wound healing time, and adverse reaction of the ointment. RESULTS: In the first group, the average healing time of superficial II wound treated by ointments of 10 micrograms/g and 50 micrograms/g significantly shortened when compared with that treated by ointments of 0.5 microgram/g(P lt; 0.01), but there was no obvious difference between the cases treated by ointments of 10 micrograms/g and 50 micrograms/g. In the second group, the healing time of superficial II wound treated by ointments of 10 micrograms/g was (8.39 +/- 2.25) days, (9.52 +/- 2.56) days in the control (P lt; 0.01); and healing time of profound II burn treated by ointments of 10 micrograms/g was (16.80 +/- 2.99) days, (18.27 +/- 3.17) days in the control (P lt; 0.01). And healing rates of burn wound at different periods were higher than those of the control. CONCLUSION: The above results indicate that rhEGF ointments can enhance burn wound healing significantly, and the ointment of 10 micrograms/g is a good choice for clinical application.
