Investigating the effects of Hydroalcoholic extract of jujube fruit (Zizyphus vulgaris L.) on second degree burn wound healing in Balb/c mice

Background and Objective: Two thirds of all accidents and injuries leading to death all around the world occur in developing countries like Iran. One of these accidents is burn that can have unpleasant effects on the individual’s body and soul. Skin wound healing is a process that happens as a result of coordination between tissues, cells, and different factors. The remaining inflammation and insufficient amount of vessel construction are among the most important causes of delayed wound healing. In recent years, jujube fruit (Zizyphus vulgaris L.) has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects as a traditional therapeutic agent. Therefore, the present study was conducted in order to investigate the effects of jujube fruit extract on second-degree burn wound among Balb/c mice. Materials and Methods: The present empirical-interventional study included 48 Balb/c mice weighing approximately 30 +/- 3 gr. After burn wounds of 1.5 cm2 were created and second-degree burns was affirmed by a pathologist, the mice were divided into four control groups; one treated with Vaseline, one treated with silver sulfadiazine ointment, one treated with jujube fruit extract 1%, and a control group. Results: In treatment groups, 1 gr ointment containing hydroalcoholic extract of jujube fruit was utilized twice a day until complete recovery. Afterwards, the four groups were compared with regard to the wound area and histopathology. The collected data were analyzed through one-way ANOVA and Tukey tests by using SPSS software. Conclusion: There was a significant difference between the intervention group and the Vaseline and control groups with regard to the percentage of wound recovery (P smaller than 0.05). The results of the study indicated that the jujube fruit extract could accelerate burn wound healing among Balb/c mice. It is recommended that further research is conducted on the effects of different doses of this medicine on laboratory animals and then on humans.