THE EFFECT OF TRAGACANTH MUCILAGE ON THE HEALING OF FULL-THICKNESS WOUND IN RABBIT

Background: Wound repair is a natural reaction to injury, which results in restoration of tissue integrity. Wound healing occurs in 3 phases including inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. There are common pathways in wound healing of human and certain animal species. Objective: To examine the healing effect of tragacanth mucilage on excisional full-thickness wound in rabbit. Methods: Mucilage was extracted from the dried tragacanth gum, using a mixture of water and glycerin (4:1) as the vehicle. Three percent, 6%, and 9% creams of tragacanth mucilage were prepared in the eucerin base. A full-thickness wound was made on the left flank of rabbits. Tragacanth creams were applied on the wound area twice daily. Control groups were treated with the drug-free cream base or commercial phenytoin cream 1%. Healing was determined quantitatively as the reduction in wound area. Histological study was performed using hematoxylin and eosin stain under light microscope. Results: The wound healing profile of tragacanth-treated groups was significantly better than the nontreated groups. The best healing effect was observed with the 6% tragacanth cream, which exerted the lowest period for healing. This effect was significantly different from the control phenytoin or drug-free eucerin bases. The extent of tissue repairment was confirmed by histological examination. Conclusion: Tragacanth mucilage exhibited a considerable potency for wound healing. This is probably due to an acceleration of collagenation and proliferation phases of the wound repair.