Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the treatment outcomes of topical application of boric acid, boron-doped gel, and ozonated olive oil in cases of Microsporum canis -induced dermatophytosis. Furthermore, the outcomes were compared to those of terbinafine administration. We included 39 female Wistar albino rats weighing 200-250 g and created an M. canis-infected area on the skin of their backs. The rats were clinically scored on days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 and underwent histopathological evaluation. All the treated groups demonstrated significantly lower clinical scores than the control group (P < 0.05). Fewer inflammation cells were observed in the samples of groups treated with 3% boric acid and sodium pentaborate pentahydrate gel than in those of the control group. According to the histopathological evaluation, the groups treated with 3% boric acid and sodium pentaborate pentahydrate gel were statistically different from the control and other treatment groups (P < 0.05). Our results indicated that treatment with 3% boric acid and sodium pentaborate gel was adequate in resolving M. canis -induced infection in rats. Therefore, gels containing 3% boric acid and sodium pentaborate pentahydrate may be alternatives to antifungal agents such as terbinafine by ensuring easy, reliable, inexpensive, and effective treatment modalities.
Highlights
The skin is the largest organ of the body
We aimed to compare the effects of topical application of boric acid, boron-doped gel, and ozonated olive oil in cases of M. canis-associated experimentally induced dermatophytosis to those of terbinafine administration in rats
At the end of day 28, the most significant clinical improvement was observed in groups treated with 3% boric acid (Group C) and the least improvement was noted in Group E (Figure 1)
Summary
Considering the fact that it covers the outer surface of the body, it is directly exposed to external factors that may damage it and cause skin diseases [1,2,3]. Animal and human studies have revealed that the most commonly detected dermatophyte species include M. canis and M. nanum, T. mentagrophytes, M. equinum, T. equinum, and T. verrucosum. Dermatophyte fungal spores multiply and divide into hyphae within an incubation period of 1–4 weeks and settle in keratinized cells and hair follicles, following which they penetrate the stratum corneum layer with keratolytic enzymes and extend into hair follicles.
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