The Effect of Aqueous-Alcoholic Extract of Toothbrush Tree ( Salvadora persica ) on the Healing of Second-degree Skin Burns in BALB/c Mice

Background: Researchers have mentioned many beneficial effects for the compounds present in the toothbrush tree (Miswak) (Salvadora persica: SP); such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of aqueous-alcoholic extract of toothbrush tree on the wound healing of second-degree skin burns in BALB/c mice.
Methods: In this study, 60 mature mice (8 weeks) were used. The mice were divided into 5 groups of twelve. Groups 1 and 2 were respectively treated with concentrations of 5% and 10% of aqueous-alcoholic extract of the toothbrush plant, group3 was treated with silver sulfadiazine ointment (positive control), group4 was treated with Vaseline (negative control), and group 5 (sham) received no treatment. A second-degree circular burn wound with a diameter of 1 cm was made on the back of the animal. The first to fourth groups were dressed twice a day. On days 4, 7, 10 and 14, sampling was performed from the wounded site and wound healing was evaluated histopathologically.
Results: Inflammation and infiltration of neutrophils and lymphocytes, being compared to the negative and sham control groups, were significantly reduced in the group treated with 10% SP extract (P<0.01); besides, on days 10 and 14 in the group treated with 10% and 5% SP extracts, the number of fibroblasts, followed by collagen production, epithelialization and formation of new hair follicles in the wound margins significantly increased compared to the negative control and sham group (P<0.05). The number of fibroblasts and collagen fiber density in the group treated with 10% SP extract, compared to the 5% extract group and silver sulfadiazine, showed a significant increase (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The findings showed that using extract of toothbrush plant accelerates the healing process of burn wounds.