Vitamin A abolishes the deleterious effect of cyclophosphamide on wound healing, haemopoietic system and body weight

Cyclophosphamide (CPM), a widely used antineoplastic and immunosuppressant drug, suppresses wound healing and produces deleterious effects on the haemopoietic system and on body weight, when used perisurgically. Vitamin A possesses antineoplastic and wound-healing promoting properties; it also suppresses the deleterious effects of radiation. Hence the effect of vitamin A on cyclophosphamide-induced suppression of wound healing has been investigated by using dead space wound model in rats. CPM (50 mg kg^-1 on 3rd post wounding day) significantly reduced the dry granuloma weight. Concomitant administration of vitamin A (5000 I.U., s.c., on alternate days) significantly reversed this effect of CPM. This finding corroborates our earlier observations on incision and excision wound studies. Similarly CPM induced leukopenia, anaemia and loss of bodyweight were significantly ameliorated by vitamin A. We conclude that vitamin A abolishes the deleterious effects of cyclophosphamide on wound healing, on the haemopoietic system and on body weight.