Chronic wounds, including diabetic, leg and pressure ulcers, impose a significant health care burden worldwide. Some evidence indicates that ultrasound can enhance soft tissue repair. However, therapeutic responses vary among individuals, thereby limiting clinical translation. Here, effects of pulsed ultrasound on dermal wound healing were assessed using a murine model of chronic, diabetic wounds. An ultrasound exposure system was developed to provide daily ultrasound exposures to full-thickness, excisional wounds in genetically diabetic mice. Wounds were exposed to 1 MHz ultrasound (2 ms pulse, 100 Hz pulse repetition frequency, 0–0.4 MPa) for 2 or 3 wk. Granulation tissue thickness and wound re-epithelialization increased as a function of increasing ultrasound pressure amplitude. At 2 wk after injury, significant increases in granulation tissue thickness and epithelial ingrowth were observed in response to 1 MHz pulsed ultrasound at 0.4 MPa. Wounds exposed to 0.4 MPa ultrasound for 3 wk were characterized by collagen-dense, revascularized granulation tissue with a fully restored, mature epithelium. Of note, only half of wounds exposed to 0.4 MPa ultrasound showed significant granulation tissue deposition after 2 wk of treatment. Thus, the db⁺/db⁺ mouse model may help to identify biological variables that influence individual responses to pulsed ultrasound and accelerate clinical translation.

慢性伤口，包括糖尿病、腿部和压力性溃疡，给全世界带来了巨大的医疗保健负担。一些证据表明，超声波可以增强软组织修复。然而，治疗反应因人而异，从而限制了临床转化。在这里，使用慢性糖尿病伤口的小鼠模型评估了脉冲超声对皮肤伤口愈合的影响。开发了一种超声波照射系统，以每天对遗传性糖尿病小鼠的全层切除伤口进行超声波照射。将伤口暴露于 1 MHz 超声（2 ms 脉冲，100 Hz 脉冲重复频率，0-0.4 MPa）下 2 或 3 周。肉芽组织厚度和伤口再上皮化随着超声压力幅度的增加而增加。受伤后 2 周，响应于 0.4 MPa 的 1 MHz 脉冲超声，观察到肉芽组织厚度和上皮向内生长显着增加。暴露于 0.4 MPa 超声 3 周的伤口以胶原致密、血管再生的肉芽组织为特征，具有完全恢复的成熟上皮。值得注意的是，只有一半暴露于 0.4 MPa 超声波的伤口在治疗 2 周后显示出明显的肉芽组织沉积。就这样db ⁺ / db ⁺小鼠模型可能有助于识别影响个体对脉冲超声反应的生物学变量并加速临床转化。