Kübranur Ünal, Mehmet Emre Erol, Duygu Dayanır, Erkan Deniz, Hüseyin Ayhan, Kemal Fındıkçıoğlu
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives: Medicinal leeches have long been recognized for the bioactive compounds present in their saliva. These compounds have been of interest due to their potential therapeutic properties. This research aimed to explore the impact of both medicinal leech application and the application of medicinal leech saliva extract on wound healing in a rat model with a dorsal random flap in vivo.
Methods: In this in vivo study, a dorsal random skin flap model was created in female Wistar albino rats. Rats were randomly assigned to three groups: control (flap only), medicinal leech therapy (MLT), and leech saliva extract (LSE) injection. Histological, immunohistochemical (VEGF), and ELISA-based biochemical analyses were performed to assess wound healing parameters on postoperative day 7.
Results: The flap necrosis area (%) in Group II and Group III was significantly lower than the control group (p<0.05). Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) (+) cell (%), neovascularisation, epithelial regeneration, and granulation tissue thickness in Group II and Group III were significantly higher than the control group (p<0.05). Also, inflammatory cells in group III were substantially lower than in the control group (p<0.05).
Conclusions: To our knowledge, this study is the first in the literature to examine the effect of medicinal leech extract injection in the flap model. These findings emphasize the potential therapeutic benefits of medicinal leeches and their saliva extract in promoting efficient wound healing, with implications for future clinical applications.
期刊介绍：
Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine (JCIM) focuses on evidence concerning the efficacy and safety of complementary medical (CM) whole systems, practices, interventions and natural health products, including herbal and traditional medicines. The journal is edited by Ed Lui of the University of Western Ontario. Topics: -Quality, efficacy, and safety of natural health products, dietary supplements, traditional medicines and their synthetic duplicates -Efficacy and safety of complementary therapies -Evidence-based medicine and practice, including evidence of traditional use -Curriculum development, educational system and competency of complementary health programs -Methodologies on research and evaluation of traditional medicines and herbal products -Integrative medicine: basic and clinical research and practice -Innovation in CAM Curriculum -Educational Material Design
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