The rats were divided into three groups (three animals per experimental group [n=3]): the control group (with the wound on the skin without infection, and treated with 100 μL of saline solution every 24 h for 3 days in the damaged zone), the infected group (treated in the damaged zone with 100 μL of the clinical strain of P. aeruginosa culture), and the Ag-NP-treated group (treated with 100 μL of Ag-NPs solution at 200 parts per million [ppm] every 24 h for 3 days after infection with the clinical strain of P. aeruginosa in the damaged zone). During all the experiments, the rats were kept with food and water ad libitum at room temperature (24°C±1°C).
The rats were anesthetized and sacrificed 24 h after the third day of treatment, and 300 mg of the wound (~1 cm2) was removed and homogenized (Tissue-Tearor 398; BioSpec, Bartlesville, OK, USA) with 3 mL of phosphate buffer (100 mgwound/mLbuffer).
Finally, 10 μL of homogenates (to have a 1:100 dilution) were used to carry out a pour plate technique to determine the CFUs of living bacteria and to compare these results among the study groups.
The rats were anesthetized and sacrificed 24 h after the third day of treatment, and 300 mg of the wound (~1 cm2) was removed and homogenized (Tissue-Tearor 398; BioSpec, Bartlesville, OK, USA) with 3 mL of phosphate buffer (100 mgwound/mLbuffer).
Finally, 10 μL of homogenates (to have a 1:100 dilution) were used to carry out a pour plate technique to determine the CFUs of living bacteria and to compare these results among the study groups.