WOUND-HEALING EFFECTS OF ALOE GEL AND OTHER TOPICAL ANTIBACTERIAL AGENTS ON RAT SKIN

The effects of topical antibacterials were studied in an acute wound h ealing model, Sprague-Dawley rats after appropriate anaesthesia receiv ed four 1.5 cm(2) dorsal defects through the skin and panniculus carno sus, Skin defects were treated for 14 days with 2% mupirocin ointment, 1% clindamycin cream, 1% silver sulfadiazine cream+Aloe vera gel, and silver sulfadiazine combined with Aloe gel. An untreated group served as controls, Each group was comprised of 10 animals each to achieve s tatistical significance, Wound closure rate was assessed by serial pla nimetry. Following healing, the breaking strength of each resultant sc ar was determined. Wound half-lives and overall healing rates were cal culated by regressing the log of the areas of all wounds over time, Ov erall healing rates of all the treated groups were significantly diffe rent compared with control group (p < 0.05). The Aloe group had the sh ortest half-life and healed faster than the control group, All the oth er treated groups had no longer half-lives when compared with the cont rol group, While silver sulfadiazine+Aloe increased the breaking stren gth of the healed wound. Aloe alone did not, but demonstrated an incre ase over the control. Topical Aloe significantly enhances the rate of wound healing and when combined with silver sulfadiazine reverses the wound retardant effect observed with silver sulfadiazine. Clindamycin and mupirocin significantly delay wound closure, However mupirocin enh anced the breaking strength of the wound.