Burn Wound Healing Potential of Honey, Sandal Wood, Calendula and Cooling with Tap Water-A Comparative Study on Wistar Rats

Abstract

Introduction: Burn injury is always associated with high morbidity and mortality depending on the percentage of burns. Slow wound healing, infection, pain, and hypertrophic scarring continue to remain a major challenge to the clinicians in the management of it. Aim: To study the burn wound healing potential of Honey, Sandal wood, Calendula and cooling with tap water on wistar rats. Materials and Methods: Fifty four rats of either sex weighing 180-200 gm were (n=6) divided into nine groups which wereGroup 1: Control (Ointment base), Group 2: Honey, Group 3: Sandalwood paste, Group 4: Calendula ointment, Group 5: Honey and Sandalwood paste (H+S), Group 6: Honey and Calendula ointment (H+C), Group 7: Honey and sandalwood and Calendula (H+C+S), Group 8: cooling with tap water and Group 9: 1% Silver sulfadiazine. Rats were anaesthetised with thiopental sodium and placed in supine position touching shaved back to the bottom of tray containing hot water 90°C for 6 seconds. The animals were resuscitated with 5 mL of normal saline intra-peritoneally. Drug treatment was given according to groups topically for 25 days. Wound contraction was expressed as reduction in percentage of the original wound size. The parameters observed were epithelisation period and percentage of wound contraction. Statistical analysis was done with Oneway ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test. Results: Significant improvement in wound contraction was seen in all the groups except in control and H+C+S group. Epithelisation started early in H+S combination group, significant (p<0.001) improvement with complete healing and hair growth was seen. Results of Calendula, Honey and Tap water groups were comparable with silver sulfadiazine. Conclusion: Honey, sandalwood, calendula and cooling with tap water was effective in reducing the initial damage. Honey and Sandalwood combination showed better effect with complete burn wound healing.

Keywords

• epithelialisation
• oedema
• revascularisation
• wound contraction