Topical Vitamin E (Alpha-tocopherol) from Red Palm Oil (Elaeis guineensis) Improved Full-thickness Wound Healing in Male Wistar Rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Abstract

Introduction: Wound healing is a multifaceted biological process shaped by several factors, such as topical treatments and environmental conditions. Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), derived from red palm oil (RPO), is proposed to promote tissue repair because of its strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. This experimental study examines the impact of applying alpha-tocopherol from RPO topically on full-thickness wound healing in male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus). Methods: A total of 32 male Wistar rats with full-thickness wounds measuring 2 cm × 2 cm were randomly assigned to two groups: the treatment group, which received topical alpha-tocopherol (0.2 g/day), and the control group, receiving a topical placebo (0.2 g/day). Wound samples were collected on days 5 and 10 to analyze macrophages, fibroblasts, and collagen. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal–Wallis tests for intergroup comparison, while multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) was utilized to assess the simultaneous effects of topical alpha-tocopherol on various wound-healing parameters. Results: The MANOVA analysis indicated a notable impact of topical alpha-tocopherol derived from RPO on wound-healing metrics in male Wistar rats (P < 0.05). Pillai’s trace (11.508, P = 0), Wilks’ lambda (32.711, P = 0.000), Hotelling’s trace (469.585, P = 0), and Roy’s largest root (222.643, P = 0) substantiated significant differences among the treatment groups. Conclusion: These findings show that topical alpha-tocopherol considerably increases the counts of fibroblasts and macrophages and the collagen density score during the early inflammatory phase of the wound-healing process. However, thereafter, these measures decline during the remodeling phase.

Keywords

• full-thickness wound
• human and medicine
• red palm oil
• vitamin e
• wistar rat