Topical Use of Sucralfate in Cutaneous Wound Management: A Narrative Review with a Veterinary Perspective

Abstract

Wound management is a fundamental skill for veterinarians, requiring a systematic approach to wound care and a deep understanding of the biological principles underlying healing. Sucralfate, widely known as a mucoprotective agent for gastroduodenal ulcers, has recently shown promising topical effects in human skin lesions by binding and protecting growth factors from proteolytic degradation, thereby enhancing their local availability. This action promotes angiogenesis, chemotaxis and cell proliferation, while reducing oxidative stress and exerting bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects against common pathogens. However, the veterinary-specific literature on topical sucralfate is extremely limited, with most available data derived from experimental studies in rodent and porcine models, rather than clinical studies in common veterinary species. Nonetheless, these preliminary studies suggest a potential role for sucralfate in accelerating the healing process through improved collagen synthesis, neovascularization and fibroblast activity. Given the species-specific challenges in veterinary wound healing—especially in horses and cats, prone to delayed healing and exuberant granulation tissue—sucralfate represents a promising, cost-effective and safe candidate for clinical use. This narrative review synthetizes current evidence on sucralfate’s mechanisms and therapeutic benefits across human and veterinary contexts, highlighting the need for controlled, multidisciplinary veterinary studies. Validating sucralfate’s efficacy in clinical settings could enable the growing owner demand for advanced care to be satisfied, shorten recovery times, reduce complications and improve animal welfare.