BACKGROUND Wound healing process is a tissue response to trauma which leads to tissue repair through complex biological stages. Sevoflurane is a widely used inhalation anesthetic for surgery, but there has been no study about its effect on wound healing process. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of sevoflurane on wound healing process. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-300 g) were used. Two circular full-thickness skin defects of 8 mm in diameter were made on dorsum of rats. After wound formation, the animals were divided into 4 groups: 1, 2, 4, 8 hr exposure to sevoflurane, respectively. Wound sizes and regional blood flow around the wounds were measured. The expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1), collagen 1, and collagen 3 mRNA were detected 7 days after wound formation by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS Wound size was significantly increased in 8 hr group at 3 and 7 days after wound formation. Regional blood flow was significantly decreased in 4 hr and 8 hr groups at 3 days after wound formation. The bFGF, collagen 1 and 3 mRNA expressions were significantly decreased in 8 hr exposure group. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that sevoflurane exposure influences the regional blood flow, wound size, expression of bFGF, and production of collagen 1 and 3 during the wound healing process.