The Effect of Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s Wort) and Nigella sativa (Black Cumin) Oils on Wound Healing in Type-1 Diabetic Mice

Abstract

Wound healing is a well-known therapeutic challenge in animal and human medicine. This study aimed to investigate the effect of topical application of Nigella sativa (black cumin, NS) and Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s Wort, HP) on wound healing in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic mice. For this aim, 25 male BALB/c mice were divided into five groups: i. Hypericum perforatum (HP), ii. Nigella sativa (NS), iii. Standard saline solution 0.9% NaCl (NSS), iv. Natural extra virgin olive oil (OL), and v. Fusidic acid-Centella asiatica cream (FM). A single dose (200 mg/kg) of STZ was intraperitoneally administered to induce type-1 diabetes. After diabetes was induced, six symmetrical excision wounds were performed on the dorsal areas of mice using a dermal biopsy punch. Wound areas were photographed every three days for 21 days, and the images were analyzed using software to achieve the daily wound closure rate in pixel values. On day one and day 21, wound tissues were dissected, total protein and hydroxyproline levels were measured by ELISA. Statistically significant differences were found in hydroxyproline change rates between the NS group with HP, NSS, and FM groups (P<0.05). The only significant difference was found between NS with OL groups (P<0.05) on wound closure rate. This study illustrated that topically administered HP and NS may not have wound-healing effects in type-1 diabetic conditions in mice.