Abstract 265: Oral Nitrite Supplementation Improves Rates of Wound Healing in Diabetic Mice

Introduction: Nitric oxide (NO) is required for cutaneous wound healing. Impaired diabetic wound healing has been linked to a deficiency in local NO production and can be enhanced with NO delivery. NO is a short-lived, highly reactive molecule and local delivery is complicated by these properties. An alternate source of NO can be achieved through the ability of nitrite reductases to convert the stable NO end-product, nitrite, back to NO. We have previously demonstrated that skin and wound edge express high levels of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR). XOR is a strong nitrite reductase. We hypothesize that dietary nitrite supplementation will improve wound healing in diabetic mice. Methods: Db/db mice (N>8/group) were pretreated for 1 week with sodium nitrite supplemented drinking water (50 mg/L), nitrite-free chow, or standard chow. Additionally, nitrite supplemented mice were gavaged with nitrite supplemented water (0.2 ml) every other day for the duration of the experiment. A 1 cm2 excisional wound was creat...