Ankaferd blood stopper accelerates deep second degree burn wound healing in rats

Abstract

In this study, the effects of Ankaferd Blood Stopper (ABS) and silver sulphadiazine (SSD) cream on burn wound healing were investigated in rats. A total of 24 outbred, male, Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to (1) ABS, (2) SSD, and (3) control groups. Bilateral burn wounds were created near the caudal border of the scapula. Wounds in each group were treated daily with sponges soaked in ABS solution, 1% SSD cream, or saline, respectively. On days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28, unhealed wound area was measured and biopsy samples were taken for histopathological examination (except day 0). At the end of day 28, all rats in the ABS and SSD groups had complete coverage of the wounds with granulation tissue and epithelialization, whereas wounds in the control group were not completely epithelialized. On day 7, the mean unhealed wound areas and the mean percentages of wound contraction were not significantly different among the groups. However, the mean percentage of wound contraction in the ABS and SSD groups was significantly higher than in the control group on days 14, 21, and 28. Histopathologically, wound healing was characterized by a decrease in neutrophil counts and an increase in vessel counts. Our results suggest that ABS can be successfully used for burn wound healing besides SSD.