Althaea officinalis extracts heal skin wounds in second- and third-degree burns in mice

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Burns are one of the most common injuries. There are few medications to repair skin in burns. Although antibacterial drugs such as topical silver sulfadiazine may prevent wound infections, they usually can’t attenuate skin healing. Marshmallow is used in Iranian traditional medicine to improve skin burns. We aimed to evaluate the effect of hydroalcoholic and aqueous extract of Althaea officinalis on the histopathologic parameters of second- and third-degree burns in mice. Experimental approach: The mice were randomly divided into 9 groups (n=6) including control and treatment groups. Experimental second- and third-degree burns were induced on dorsal skin of the mice by a metal plate (2 cm in diameter) under general anesthesia. Control and treatment groups were treated twice daily for 21 days topically. Normal saline was used for control group and hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts of Althaea officinalis in three concentrations (1%, 2% and 4%) were used for the treatment groups. All of the preparations were made in hydrogel base. Finally, the histopathological parameters of the burned skin including polymorphonuclear (PMN) migration, epithelialization, angiogenesis and collagenization were scored and total score of wound healing was calculated. Key Results: The findings showed that topical application of both hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts of Althaea officinalis attenuates the wound healing process. they reduce PMN migration, collagenization, epithelialization and angiogenesis scores compared to control group. Conclusions & Implications: Althaea officinalis can be used as an adjunct medication to attenuate wound healing in skin burns.