Beneficial effects of extracts from Lucilia sericata maggots on burn wounds in rats

Lucilia sericata maggots have beneficial properties; however, their protective effects on burn wounds have yet to be fully elucidated. In the present study, a deep second-degree burn rat model was used to investigate the burn wound healing properties of aqueous extract of maggots (MAE). The anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and antibacterial activities were examined. In addition, the protein expression levels of Akt, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were detected by western blotting. The findings of the present study revealed that MAE treatment increased burn wound healing and hydroxyproline content in the burn-treated rats. A total of seven compounds (MAE-P1-P7) were separated from MAE and a comparative study was performed to identify the major active component. The results demonstrated that MAE-P6 exerted greater antibacterial activity compared with the other compounds. MAE-P6 treatment reduced tissue levels of malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6, and increased superoxide dismutase activity. Furthermore, MAE-P6 increased the expression levels of VEGFA and reduced NF-κB expression through Akt, which was verified by treatment with the Akt-specific inhibitor, LY294002. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the beneficial effects of MAE on burn wound healing were due to its antibacterial, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. MAE-P6 reduced the release of inflammatory cytokines via the Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway, and regulated angiogenesis and vasopermeability via the Akt/VEGFA pathway.