The role of aloe vera gel, propolis ointment, and aloe vera with propolis gel to improve the burn healing in rabbits: A Comparative study

Propolis and Aloe vera gel have seen widespread clinical application since the approval for wound coverage by the FDA. They were because of properties that promote wound healing and their efficient cost in manufacturing. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the efficacy of the Propolis and Aloe vera gel on burn wound healing in rabbit models. It was carried out on 20 adult male rabbits divided into 4 groups. Four burn wounds were applied to the deep third-degree burns on the right side of each animal. The first animal group was control (COL group); the second was treated with Aloe vera gel (AVG group); the third was therapy via Propolis ointment (PO group), and the last was lubricated with 1/1 mixture of Propolis with Aloe vera Gel (AVPG) as (AVPG group). The treatments were repeated once daily until complete healing. For four days of burns, the percentage of wound contraction was assessed. The results showed that the AVPG significantly accelerated wound healing activity compared to wounds dressed with AVG and the control burn wounds. However, the level of wound contraction was significantly higher, and the healing time was faster in the AVPG group than in the other groups. The mean epithelialization percentage of burn obtained in days were respectively 76.46±3.2 (AVPG group), 76.25±3.4 (AVG group), and 70.42±3.9 (COL group) with the inferiority of the PO group 68.75±5.3. However, micropathological examination revealed that the pathological signs showed wound healing in the AVPG, AVG, and PO was better than in the COL group. A complete healing process was observed in the treated burns group, where complete re-epithelialization was coated in all epidermis layers. We conclude that the AVPG can be used as an adjunctive or alternative agent to existing wound healing therapies in the future.