Comparison of Topical Treatment with Silver Sulfadiazine and Sweetgum Oil (Liquidambar orientalis) on Burn Wound Healing in an Experimental Rat Model

OBJECTIVE: To investigate effects of Sweetgum oil (SO) on wound healing in comparison with silver sulfadiazine (SS) in a burn wound model, which was experimentally created on rats. It was observed in the literature that no study had investigated the effects of SO on burn wounds. STUDY DESIGN: Seventy-two Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 3 main groups: Burn, Burn+SS, and Burn+SO (subgroups: 4, 8, and 12 days). RESULTS: In the histopathological examinations it was observed that parameters indicating wound-healing stages had increased in the Burn+SS and Burn+SO groups more than in the Burn group, whereas they were similar in the Burn+SS and Burn+SO groups. In the PCNA immunostaining, more rapid epidermal growth, more increased thickening in the cuticular layer, and more prominent wound healing were observed in the Burn+SS and Burn+SO groups than in the Burn group. While hydroxyproline levels in the Burn+SS and Burn+SO subgroups were similar on Days 8 and 12, it was observed that levels were increased in the burn subgroups. CONCLUSION: Topical use of SO on burn wound areas had favorable effects on healing, indicating that this agent could be used as an alternative treatment for burn wounds.Namik Kemal University Research Center, Tekirdag, TurkeyNamik Kemal University [NKUBAP.00.20.AR.14.10]Supported under Project NKUBAP.00.20.AR.14.10 by the Namik Kemal University Research Center, Tekirdag, Turkey