Investigation of the effects of chitosan-based hydrogels containing wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) extract on experimental rat burn model

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) has been used for the treatment of many diseases since ancient times. Traditionally, it is used for its healing effects on burns and wounds. Burns are seen as an important public health problem worldwide, and they are one of the most severe traumas that can happen to any individual at any time. Burn management is a complex process that includes early surgical intervention, systemic medications, and wound care. Hydrogel dressings are often preferred in burn treatment for wound care. It is widely used because it provides the necessary moisture to the wound area, acts as a barrier, and contributes to the controlled release of the bioactive molecules it contains. However, wound dressings are inadequate and not easily accessible in our country. Therefore, chitosan-based hydrogel dressings containing different doses of wormwood extract were produced, and their effects on the experimental rat burn model were examined. First, certain phenolic compounds in the ethanolic wormwood extract were detected using LC-MS/MS. The antioxidant activities of three doses of wormwood extract were calculated using the DPHH method. The antimicrobial activity of the dressings against two different bacterial strains was tested using the disc diffusion method. Tissues taken from 48 Sprague-Dawley female rats on the 3rd and 21st days of the experimental burn model were histopathologically examined in eleven categories. Tissue IL-1α, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α levels were measured using ELISA. Non-parametric data obtained from histopathological examination were analyzed with Fisher's exact test Monte Carlo simulation using IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0. Data obtained from tissue cytokine levels were analyzed the JASP 0.17 statistical program. The relationship of the dependent variable between days and groups was tested using Two-Way ANOVA. The level of significance was set at p<0,05. Fifteen phenolic compounds were quantitatively determined in wormwood extracts. The antioxidant activities of high-, medium-, and low-dose wormwood extracts were as 91,1% ± 0,054, 89,6% ± 0,012 and 84,1% ± 0,02, respectively. The hydrogel dressings did not show any antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213) or Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853). The fibrosis results obtained on day 21st were statistically significant. Tissue cytokine levels were determined in pg/ml in all groups. Therefore, it was concluded that wormwood promotes wound healing through various mechanisms of action and is appropriate for use as a wound dressing in the form of a chitosan-based hydrogel.