Assessment of the Effects of Quince Seed Mucilage and Wheat Germ Oil on Wound Healing in Rats

Objective: People have used traditional herbal medicines for wound care since the dawn of time. This study aimed to assess the cutaneous wound healing effects of wheat germ oil (WGO) and quince seed mucilage (QSM) in rats. Methods: Adult female Wistar albino rats were allocated to one of the three groups: rats treated with topical WGO (n=6); topical QSM (n=6); and topical saline (n=6) as the control group. Two circular, full-thickness wounds of 0.6 mm diameter were created on the dorsal thoracic region of each rat. Test and control solutions were applied twice daily for 14 days. Wound healing was assessed by measuring the wound contraction rate and the time needed for complete epithelialization. Results: When compared with the control group, rats in the WGO group had reduced wound closure rates in the first four days, but considerably greater rates in the 8th, 10th, and 12th days, as well as a shorter duration of time needed to complete epithelialization (11 days vs. 13 days). The wound closure rates of the rats in the QSM group were not substantially different from the control rats and the duration of time needed for complete epithelialization was not significantly different from the control group. Conclusion: WGO use has been shown to improve wound healing. It may be used as an alternative or complementary approach for wound treatment depending on the severity of the wounds. On the other hand, QSM was not found to improve wound healing.