Study of Histometric and Histopathological Effects of Essential Oil of Pelargonium roseum in Comparison with Phenytoin after Surgical Trauma on Rat's Skin

Pelargonium roseum belongs to the family of Geraniales. Recent reports indicate that the essential oil of this plant can inhibit the experimentally induced paw and ear edema in laboratory animals. On the other hand، in some countries phenytoin is formulated as an accelerator of wound healing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of essential oil of Pelargonium roseum in comparison with phenytoin after surgical trauma on rat's skin. For this purpose، 4 full-thickness skin excision were induced on the back of 60 female Wistar rats by punching. Then these animals were divided into 6 groups randomly. The first and second groups were determined as Pelargonium-treated groups، third and fourth groups as phenytoin-treated groups، and fifth and sixth groups as control. Duration of treatment was 21 days. The wounds in first، third and fifth groups were photographed daily for histometrical study and finally analyzed with scion image software. In second، fourth and sixth groups in order to do the histopathological study in days 0، 3، 7، 14 and 21، two rats of each group were sampled randomly and then these rats were eliminated. Groups that were treated with the essential oil، showed the best healing from the point of view of wound contraction، inflammation، re-epithelialization، fibroplasia، neovascularization، collagenization and maturation of connective tissue. On the other hand phenytoin showed the worst healing. The differences were statistically significant. In full-thickness skin excisions، The essential oil of Pelargonium roseum accelerates healing process and phenytoin has an inhibitory effect on this process.