The effect of earthworm extract on promoting skin wound healing

Abstract

Chronic nonhealing wounds pose a significant challenge to healthcare system because of its tremendous utilization of resources and time to heal. It has a well-deserved reputation for reducing the quality of life for those affected and represent a substantial economic burden to the healthcare system overall. Earthworms are used as a traditional Chinese medicine, and have been applied pharmacologically and clinically since a long time in China. However, there is paucity in data regarding its wound healing effects. Therefore, we investigated the effect of earthworm extract (EE) on skin wound healing process. The obtained data showed that EE has healing effects on local wound of mice. It decreased the wound healing time and reduced the ill-effects of inflammation as determined by macroscopic, histopathologic, hematologic, and immunohistochemistry parameters. The potential mechanism could be accelerated hydroxyproline and transforming growth factor-β secretion—thus increasing the synthesis of collagen, promoting blood capillary, and fibroblast proliferation. It could accelerate the removal of necrotic tissue and foreign bodies by speeding up the generation of interleukin-6, white blood cells, and platelets. It thus enhances immunity, reduces the risk of infection, and promotes wound healing. All in all, the obtained data demonstrated that EE improves quality of healing and could be used as a propitious wound healing agent.

Acute Wound Healing Potential of Marine Worm, Diopatra claparedii Grube, 1878 Aqueous Extract on Sprague Dawley Rats

“…The D. claparedii extract also showed better effects in wound healing when compared to another study using earthworm extract (100% v/v). WHP displayed by the earthworm extract was 88.3 ± 2.9% on day 11, whereas 1.0% of PO showed 98.9 ± 0.3% for the same period [ 16 ]. Altogether, these results suggested that 1.0% of D. claparedii ointment showed faster wound healing rate as compared to gamat and earthworm extract.…”

“…The wound area was measured on days 0, 3, 7, 11, and 14 after the trauma by tracing the wound margin using a transparent film and a graph paper. The wound healing percentage (WHP) was calculated using the following formula [ 16 ]: X = days 3, 7, 11, and 14 of post-trauma.…”

“…The presence of granulation tissues, cardinal signs of inflammation (erythema and oedema), scab, epithelial tissue, and growth of fur was observed on days 0, 3, 7, and 14 following treatments [ 16 ].…”

Wound healing promoting activity of Earthworm, Eutyphoeus gammiei (Beddard): in vitro studies on human skin keratinocyte cell line (HaCat).

“…In China, Japan, Indonesia and the Far East, earthworms have been used to treat various chronic diseases since 1340 AD 10 . The use of earthworm species as wound healing agent has been reported in various studies [11][12][13][14][15] . The medicinal property of earthworm may vary depending on the species and living environment of that organism [16][17][18][19] .…”

Preparation and properties of a novel carbon nanotubes/poly(vinyl alcohol)/epidermal growth factor composite biological dressing

“…Therefore, new potential therapeutic interventions in wound healing have focused on growth factors with sustained delivery, and growth factors contained within the wound dressing, and have been highlighted in the field of medical dressings (6)(7)(8)(9)(10). Among numerous growth factors applied in the clinic, epidermal growth factor (EGF) is the first and foremost factor to promote the wound healing (11,12). EGF possesses high-affinity receptors that are expressed by both fibroblasts and keratinocytes, and improves epidermal and mesenchymal regeneration, cell mobility, proliferation and synthesis of the ECM, then consequently facilitate wound healing (13,14).…”