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.