Adjuvant effect of oral Silymarin on patients’ wound healing process caused by thermal injuries

BACKGROUND: According to the side effects of the usual treatment of burns, in improving the patients’ prognosis, there is a need to introduce faster and more effective adjuvant therapies to treat wounds, thus to improve the prognosis of patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of adjuvant treatment with oral silymarin on wound healing process caused by second degree-burns among the patients admitted to Valiasr Hospital of Arak. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind clinical trial study was carried out on 80 patients with second-degree burns covering 20 to 30 percent of the body with flame. Patients were randomized into 2 groups with an equal number: The intervention group (treated daily with oral 140-mg silymarin) and control (under the administration of placebo). Patients were treated for 8 weeks and at the end of weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4 according to the degree of wound healing (grade 1, 2 and 3) were followed during 2016-2017. RESULTS: Changes in degrees of burn wound healing in both the intervention and placebo groups during the 4 weeks of treatment, significantly improved grade 3 completely. Based on the results, the complete remission in all four follow-up stages was significantly higher in silymarin group than the placebo group: Week 1 (intervention: 9 (22.5%), control: 0 (0%), (p=0.011), week 2 (intervention group: 18 (45%), placebo: 7 (17.5%), (p=0.000), week 3 (intervention: 24 (60%), placebo: 11 ( 27.5%), (p=0.051); week 4 (intervention: 27 (67.5%), control: 19 (47.5%), (p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: According to our results, the 4-week adjuvant treatment with oral silymarin resulted in the full and faster wound recovery in patients with second degree-burn. So, it is recommended to use adjuvant treatments to obtain effective results.