A Comparison of Chitosan Gel and St. John’s Wort Oil in Second-Degree Burns: An Experimental Study

Abstract

Background and Aim: Hypericum perforatum L. (HP) and chitosan are materials that are abundant in nature with anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antibiotic properties. The present study aimed to examine the effects of these two materials on burn injuries. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one rats were divided into three groups, and burn injuries were experimentally created. Macroscopic healing of the wounds was evaluated by drawing the wound borders on transparent acetates once a week. At the end of four weeks, all the animals were sacrificed, and histopathological examinations were performed. The intact dorsum skin of the animals killed was excised to create the control group. A total of four groups were created, i.e. control, saline, St. John’s Wort Oil (SJWO), and chitosan gel group, respectively. The results were compared statistically. Results: At the end of the third week, the maximum reduction was observed in the SJWO group in the macroscopic examination (p<0.05). In histopathological examinations, dermal inflammation (Chi-square test, p<0.05) and epidermis thickness (Mann-Whitney U, p<0.05) were found to have the highest levels in the chitosan group. Conclusion: All the preparations used in this study to treat burn injuries were effective, and the wounds improved compared to the initial state. SJWO was determined to provide the best healing of the burns. Long-term use of chitosan gel did not positively affect, with both macroscopic and histopathological findings showing that it delayed the healing of wounds compared to saline and SJWO.

Keywords

• Hypericum, Chitosan, Burns