Wound Healing and Antimicrobial Potential of the Herbal Ointment Containing Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) and Syzygium Aromaticum (Clove oil) on Second-Degree Burns in Albino Rats

Abstract

Burn injuries not only cause localized skin damage but also have several systemic repercussions on the body. These alterations are unique to burn wounds and are typically not seen in wounds from other traumas. Burn injuries show various systemic effects which include renal failure, myocardial dysfunction, sympathetic stimulation, and hypovolemia. Being the fourth most common type of injury worldwide, burn wounds are still understudied in Pakistan and demand top priority. Burn injuries remain the major cause of detrimental morbidity and mortality while their management still poses a concern for healthcare community. Currently, available commercial synthetic drugs like 1% Silver Sulfadiazine (SSD) have various side effects including toxic epidermal necrolysis, skin rashes, photosensitivity reactions, exfoliative dermatitis, & erythema nodosum, which impedes successful burn treatment. We, therefore, proposed an herbal treatment, containing 10% methanolic Aloe Vera extract formulated with 35% Clove bud oil in Honey as an ointment base. This treatment induces effective healing with maximum preservation of damaged tissue with minimum fibrosis and maximum wound contraction. The albino rats were induced with consistent second-degree burn wounds and were divided into three groups. Two of the groups were treated with herbal formulation, and 1% SSD respectively, whereas the third group was not given any treatment for the period of 21 days. The effective wound healing and wound contraction in three groups was then studied over time through tissue histology, complete blood profiling, and differential gene expression profiling. Our results showed that the herbal formulation was 13.6% more effective as compared to the commercially available 1% SSD and showed no cytotoxic effects. However further investigation into the effect of herbal treatment and 1% SSD on the expression profiles of DEGs is required. In conclusion, an herbal ointment containing Clove oil and Aloe Vera has the potential to replace commercially available synthetic chemical drugs for burn wound treatment.