Abstract
Shengfu oil is a traditional Chinese medicine formula containing 16 ingredients, including Scutellariae radix, Olibanum, and Rehmanniae radix. In this study, we aimed to enhance the wound healing of rabbit full-thickness scalded skin by Shengfu oil and to elucidate its regulatory effects on β-catenin, Dlk1, and COX-2. We found that Shengfu oil exhibited significant anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antimicrobial activities. The structure of wound tissues in Shengfu oil group was intact, including regenerated cutaneous appendages, indicating better healing capability of Shengfu oil compared to the controls. The protein expression of β-catenin, Dlk1, and COX-2 in wound tissues were investigated by immunohistochemistry staining and were further quantitated with the use of multispectral imaging analysis. The protein expression of β-catenin and Dlk1 in the Shengfu oil group was higher than that in the sesame oil group in early wound repair, accompanied by the lower expression of COX-2; the protein expression of β-catenin decreased in the middle of wound healing; the protein expression of β-catenin and Dlk1 increased at the end of wound healing. These results strongly suggest that Shengfu oil can enhance wound healing by regulating the expression of β-catenin, Dlk1, and COX-2 due to its excellent anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antimicrobial activities.
Highlights
Skin can serve as a protective barrier against the environment (Chen et al, 2012)
Compared to the level in the model group (149 ± 5 and 138 ± 4% of the control at 1 and 2 h, respectively), the ear edema level of model mice treated with diclofenac diethylamine emulgel (DDE) or Shengfu oil was decreased (121 ± 3 and 104 ± 3% of the control at 1 and 2 h, respectively, for DDE group; 132 ± 5 and 123 ± 3% of the control at 1 and 2 h, respectively, for Shengfu oil group), which showed that Shengfu oil could effectively relieve the inflammatory reaction induced by xylene
Compared to that in the model group, the thermal pain thresholds of mice in the DDE and Shengfu oil groups were all obviously increased, especially in the Shengfu oil group at 12 h (111% of control), which showed that Shengfu oil could effectively inhibit thermal hyperalgesia induced by formalin and that the efficacy of Shengfu oil treatment was better than DDE
Summary
Skin can serve as a protective barrier against the environment (Chen et al, 2012). physical, chemical, or thermal injuries can disrupt the integrity of the skin (Barreto et al, 2014). Appropriate wound healing is essential for the restoration of the disrupted anatomical continuity and disturbed functional status of the skin (Singh et al, 2006). There is a growing demand for traditional medicine made from plants in developing countries because they are safe and useful for improving healing and reduce the financial burden of treatment (Narayan et al, 2011; Albertyn et al, 2015; Lee et al, 2015). Several plants have been used as traditional medicines to facilitate wound healing (Lodhi et al, 2006; Abdulla et al, 2009; Tan et al, 2014). More effective and cheaper rapeutic approaches for wound healing are still needed in modern medicine (Barreto et al, 2014)
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