Investigation of salvia tomentosa ointment effects on dermal wound healing in rabbit model

Herbal based treatments have an increasing importance and these treatments are traditionally used in the treatment of various diseases and wound healing in many countries. Wound is a temporary or complete deterioration of skin or tissue integrity and functions due to physical, chemical, and biological factors. In extraordinary situations such as wounds, the defense and repair mechanisms take action on the body. First of all, bleeding is tried to be prevented for the continuation of life and afterwards, the damaged area is tried to be restored by repair and remodeling processes. Today, besides directly affecting the healing process in wound treatment, it is also aimed to help the natural process and prevent infection by minimizing the external effects. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of Salvia tomentosa (Miller) extract, which has antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, on dermal wound model in rabbits. For this purpose, 2.5% and 5% ointments were prepared with hydroethanolic extracts of plants. A total of 35 New Zealand rabbits with 7 rabbits in each group were used for the wound model. In the study, five groups were formed include control group, carrier group (ointment vehicle), Fitokrem® group (positive control), 2.5% Salvia tomentosa group and 5% Salvia tomentosa group. The wound closure levels were examined macroscopically in the wounds created on the back of the rabbits. In addition, histopathological examinations were performed on the biopsy samples taken on days 3, 7 and 14. At the end of the study, in terms of wound closure, it was determined that 2.5% Salvia tomentosa and 5% Salvia tomentosa extracts accelerated wound healing similar to Fitokrem® Histopathological findings were also found to support the positive effects of the extracts on wound healing. As a result, the positive effects of Salvia tomentosa on dermal wound healing were revealed with this study. Keywords: Histopathology, Salvia tomentosa, skin, wound healing