Phytotherapeutic evaluation of rosehip seed and olive oils on wound healing: evidence from L929 cell culture and in vivo VEGF/TGF-β analysis.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the wound healing efficacy of rosehip seed oil and olive oil using both in vitro and in vivo models. The novelty of this work lies in the comparative investigation of these two natural oils with documented antioxidant profiles, focusing on their regenerative capacity. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed linoleic acid (45.46%) as the major component of rosehip seed oil and oleic acid (78.16%) as dominant in olive oil. In vitro 3- (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays on L929 fibroblasts confirmed the nontoxic nature of both oils at low concentrations. In vitro scratch assays showed that the wound closure rate increased from 85.22% in the control group to 96.49% with 0.1% rosehip seed oil and 92.67% with 0.01% olive oil. The combination of oils achieved a 91.72% closure rate. In vivo, oils were topically applied to rat excisional wounds for 10 days. The negative control group had a 52.97% healing rate, while rosehip seed oil treatment improved it to 69.13%, when compared with 57.13% with olive oil and 60.43% with the oil mixture. Histopathological analysis showed significant epithelial tissue regeneration with rosehip seed oil. This group also demonstrated the highest vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) expression levels, greater total antioxidant capacity, and the most effective oxidative stress reduction. These results suggest that rosehip seed oil may be a potent natural agent for promoting wound repair, likely due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, further studies involving additional cell lines, prolonged treatment durations, and clinical validation are warranted to confirm its therapeutic potential.