Evaluation of Sambucus ebulus Fruit Extract in Full-Thickness Diabetic Wound Healing in Rats

One of the most common complications of diabetes is the disorder and defect in healing of diabetic wounds. Sambucus ebulus has anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects in repairing acute skin wounds. The present study was performed to investigate the effect of alcoholic extract of Sambucus ebulus fruit on wound healing in diabetic male rats.

This experimental study was carried out in 45 male rats. Thirty rats were randomly divided into two groups (n=15), 30 days after induction of diabetes and the rest were considered non-diabetic. The groups included normal wound, diabetic wound, and diabetic wound group treated with 5% Sambucus ebulus fruit extract. Sampling was performed at days 7, 14, and 21 after wounding. Assessments included wound closure rate, histological (collagen density) and stereological examinations, expression of genes involved in repair, regeneration and angiogenesis (TGF-β, bFGF, VEGF), and inflammatory genes (TNF-α and IL-1β) using qRT-PCR.

Wound closure rate, new epidermis and dermis volume, total fibroblast cells, and collagen deposition significantly increased in treated group compared with diabetic control group (P<0.05). The expression of genes, were found to be significantly higher in treatment group than the diabetic control group (P<0.05). Findings showed a significant decrease in expression of inflammatory genes and number of mast cells in treatment group compared with the diabetic control group (P<0.05).

The 5% fruit extract of Sambucus ebulus, with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, showed great effects on healing process of diabetic and chronic wounds.