Topical Application of Lactobacillus plantarum on Burn Wound Healing in Diabetic Rats

This study was designed to investigate the effect of Lactobacillus plantarum gel on cutaneous burn wound healing in diabetic rats. Randomized experimental study Forty adult male rats Two circular 1 cm cutaneous wounds were created in the dorsum back of each rat. 48 h post-burning, debridement with a 1 cm biopsy punch was performed. The wounds were divided into the following four treatment groups (n= 10, each): 1. Untreated or negative control (NC), 2. silver sulfadiazine (positive control-SSD), 3. base gel (BG) 4. Lactobacillus plantarum Gel (LP gel). The wound surface area and epithelialization were monitored. The animals were euthanized at 10 (n = 5), and 20 (n = 5) days post-injury (DPI) and the skin samples were used for histopathological, biochemical, TGF-β gene expression and biomechanical investigations. It was indicated that the L. plantarum and SSD treated lesions had the lowest percentage of wound size and collagen content and also the L. plantarum treated group showed shortest inflammatory period and highest amount of TGF-β at 10 days post injury. The L. plantarum gel treated lesions also demonstrated greater ultimate load compared to the untreated and based gel treated wounds.  In conclusion, L. plantarum gel therapy improved wound healing and resulted in better outcomes after severe burn injury in diabetic rats compared with the silver sulfadiazine treatment.