Comparison of the effects of standard wound care product and manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) honey on wound healing in mice with pressure wound

PURPOSE: Pressure wound is an important and serious public health problem that can cause high morbidity and mortality in hospitals and home care patients. Many methods have been used since ancient times to prevent and treat pressure wounds. Honey is one of the products used for wound healing for many years. Studies have shown that manuka honey obtained from Leptospermum Scoparium flowers in New Zealand has positive effects on wound healing. In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of manuka honey on wound healing with a standard wound care product we routinely use. METHOD: After the approval of the ethics committee, 18 male 8-12-week-old Balb-c rats weighing 20-25 g were randomly selected and divided into 3 groups. Groups were defined as; Control group (Group K, n = 6), Standard wound care product group (Group S, n = 6), Manuka honey group (Group M, n = 6). A circular full thickness wound with a diameter of 6 mm was formed on the right or left iliac bone of the mice under anesthesia. Until the 14th day of the experiment, manuka honey to Group M and standard wound care product to Group S were applied topically once a day. Group K was left to spontaneous recovery without any treatment. The wound diameters of mice in all groups were measured on days 0, 3, 7, 10 and 14. After sufficient anesthesia depth was obtained at the end of the experiment, the wounds of the mice were removed for histopathological examination including the muscle tissue beneath. Statistical analysis of the data obtained during the study was done using the SPSS program. RESULTS: The average weight of 18 male mice included in the study was 22.78 ± 1.568 (p>0.05). In our study, reepithelization, collagen accumulation, ulcer development and VEGF were statistically significantly higher in Group M than in Group S and Group K (p<0.017). Inflammatory cell and angiogenesis were statistically significantly lower in Group M than in Group S and Group K (p<0.017). There was no statistically significant difference between Group K and Group S (p>0.05). No statistically significant relationship was found between the groups in terms of granulation formation and Ki-67 proliferation index (p>0.05). When we compared wound closure between groups, there was a significant difference only between Group M and Group K on days 3, 7 and 14, and wound closure rate in Group M was statistically significantly higher than Group K (p <0.05). On the tenth day, there was a statistically significant difference between all groups and the wound healing rate in Group M was statistically significantly higher than in Group K and Group S (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We observed that manuka honey, which we applied topically in mice with a pressure wound model, had more positive effects on wound healing than routine wound care product and spontaneous healing and provided faster wound closure. Therefore, we can recommend the use of manuka honey in the treatment of acute wounds and pressure wounds. However, we think that studies should be increased for the clinical use of manuka honey to become widespread. KEY WORDS: Manuka honey, pressure wound, wound healing, leptospermum scoparium