Traumatic oral ulcers are one of the most commonly encountered oral ulcers. Their healing may be delayed due to factors like the presence of opportunistic infectious microbes in the oral cavity, secondary trauma from sharp edges of teeth, and the systemic condition of the patient.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of a newly developed neem extract containing herbal ointments (propolis and Hemidesmus indicus) in enhancing the wound contraction of traumatic oral ulcers and to determine the relationship between oxidative stress and oral ulcers.
METHODS: Ulcers were inflicted by trauma in the mouths of experimental rabbits using a 5 mm punch biopsy device. Forty-eight animals were randomly put into six groups (n = 12). Group 1 was the control group that did not receive any intervention; Group 2 had a systemic treatment of Hemidesmus indicus extract; Group 3 received a topical application of propolis; Group 4 had a topical application of a neem extract-based herbal ointment; Group 5 was administered a combination of Hemidesmus indicus and propolis; and Group 6 had a combination of a neem-based herbal ointment and Hemidesmus indicus. Oxidative stress levels were calculated by measuring superoxide dismutases and malondialdehyde levels in the blood on days 0, one, seven, and 14. Wound contraction scores of ulcers were also assessed on days seven and 14.
RESULTS: Significantly higher wound contraction scores were seen in groups treated with herbal ointment in comparison to groups treated without herbal ointment. Oxidative stress levels increased in all groups after the infliction of ulcers (day one) and then declined as the ulcers healed, reaching near-normal levels on day 14. Groups containing Hemidesmus indicus showed a significant reduction in oxidative stress in comparison to groups without Hemidesmus indicus. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant.
CONCLUSIONS: A combined formulation of herbal ointment and Hemidesmus indicus proved to be the most efficacious in enhancing wound contraction of oral ulcers along with significantly reducing oxidative stress in experimental rabbits.

UNASSIGNED: For a long time, natural compounds have been used to accelerate wound healing. In this study, the topical effects of ammoniacum gum extract on wound healing were investigated in white male rats.
UNASSIGNED: Following skin wound induction in aseptic conditions, 48 Wistar rats were divided into six equal groups; phenytoin cream 1% (standard), untreated (control), Eucerin (control), and 5%, 10% and 20% ointments of Dorema ammoniacum gum extract (treatment groups). All experimental groups received topical drugs daily for 14 days. The percentage of wound healing, hydroxyproline content, histological parameters, and growth factors (endothelial growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-α) were measured in experimental groups.
UNASSIGNED: The areas of the wounds in the treatment groups were significantly decreased compared with the wound areas of control groups at 5, 7 and 10 days after wounding. On the 12th day, the wounds in the treatment groups were completely healed. Hydroxyproline contents were significantly increased in the treatment groups compared with the control groups (p<0.001). In histological evaluation, the re-epithelialisation, increasing thickness of the epithelial layer, granulation tissue and neovascularisation parameters in the treatment groups showed significant increases compared with the control groups. Also, serum levels of TGF-β, PDGF, EGF and VEGF in the treatment groups were significantly increased compared to the control groups.
UNASSIGNED: The topical application of ammoniacum gum extract significantly increases the percentage of wound healing in rats and reduces the time of wound closure.

Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been a major cause of morbidity in thermally injured patients. The skin barrier gets disrupted and loss of immunity further makes burn sites an easy target for bacterial colonization. In the current study, combined potential of lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPHNs) with fusidic acid was explored as a promising strategy toward combating resistant bacteria in burn wound infection sites. The developed systems exhibited particle size (310.56 ± 5.22 nm), zeta potential (24.3 ± 4.18 mV) and entrapment efficiency (78.56 ± 3.56%) with a spherical shape. The hybrid nanoparticles were further gelled into carbopol and demonstrated better permeation (76.53 ± 1.55%) and retention characteristics (56.41 ± 4.67%) as compared to the conventional formulation. The topical delivery of FA into the skin layers by FA-LPHN gel was found to be significantly higher (p < 0.05) compared to FA-CC. The in vivo potential was further assessed in murine burn wound model inflicted with MRSA 33591 bacterium with the determination of parameters like bacterial burden, wound contraction, morphological and histopathological examination of wounds. The bacterial count decreased drastically in FA-LPHN gel group (5.22 log CFU/mL) on day 3 with significant difference in comparison to FA-CC. The wound size reduction in FA-LPHN gel (68.70 ± 3.65%) was higher as compared to FA-CC (73.30 ± 4.23%) and control groups (83.30 ± 4.40%) on day 5. The current study presents a safe and effective formulation strategy for the treatment of MRSA-infected burn wounds by providing moist environment and prevention from bacterial infection.