|
| RESEARCH ARTICLE |
|
|
|
| Year : 2008 | Volume
: 40
| Issue : 4 | Page : 144-146 |
| |
Burn wound healing property of Cocos nucifera: An appraisal
Pallavi Srivastava, S Durgaprasad
Department of Pharmacology, KMC International Centre, Manipal, India
| Date of Submission | 30-Aug-2007 |
| Date of Decision | 20-Aug-2008 |
| Date of Acceptance | 22-Aug-2008 |
Correspondence Address:
S Durgaprasad
Department of Pharmacology, KMC International Centre, Manipal
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0253-7613.43159
Objectives: The study was undertaken to evaluate the burn wound healing property of oil of Cocos nucifera and to compare the effect of the combination of oil of Cocos nucifera and silver sulphadiazine with silver sulphadiazine alone.
Materials and Methods: Partial thickness burn wounds were inflicted upon four groups of six rats each. Group I was assigned as control, Group II received the standard silver sulphadiazine. Group III was given pure oil of Cocos nucifera , and Group IV received the combination of the oil and the standard. The parameters observed were epithelialization period and percentage of wound contraction.
Results: It was noted that there was significant improvement in burn wound contraction in the group treated with the combination of Cocos nucifera and silver sulphadiazine. The period of epithelialization also decreased significantly in groups III and IV.
Conclusion: It is concluded that oil of Cocos nucifera is an effective burn wound healing agent.
Keywords: Cocos nucifera, epithelialization, silver sulphadiazine, wound contraction
How to cite this article:
Srivastava P, Durgaprasad S. Burn wound healing property of Cocos nucifera: An appraisal. Indian J Pharmacol 2008;40:144-6 |
| » Introduction | |  |
Burn can be defined as tissue damage caused by a variety of agents such as heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight, or nuclear radiation. The most common are burns caused by scalds, building fires, and flammable liquids and gases. Every year, about two million people receive medical treatment for burn injury. [1] Thermal burn and related injuries have remained a major cause of death and disability. [2] Although small burns are not usually life threatening, they need the same attention as large burns, in order to achieve functional and cosmetic outcome. [3]
Most of the early treatment modalities include topical application of medicament, mainly aimed at preventing infections. Improving the methods of wound healing and tissue repair offers tremendous opportunities to enhance the quality of life for trauma and burn patients. It may also help to reduce health care costs. Many of the drugs used today have their origin in plant medicine. [4]
Cocos nucifera Linn (Arecaceae) is a stately palm, which thrives within the tropical zone. Commonly known as coconut, it is known as Narikela in Sanskrit. The most important coconut producing countries in the world are India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia. Coconut is widely used in Asian countries for a variety of purposes. Its fresh kernel is consumed by people all over India and the kernel forms an ingredient of many Indian food preparations. Oil of Cocos nucifera (CN) is extracted from copra, which is the dried inner flesh of coconut. Coconut oil consists of about 90% saturated fat. The oil contains predominantly medium chain triglycerides, with 86.5% saturated fatty acids, 5.8% monounsaturated fatty acids, and 1.8% polyunsaturated fatty acids. Of the saturated fatty acids, coconut oil is primarily 44.6% lauric acid, 16.8% myristic acid and 8.2% palmitic acid, although it contains seven different saturated fatty acids in total. Its only monounsaturated fatty acid is oleic acid, while its only polyunsaturated fatty acid is linoleic acid. [5] Virgin coconut oil has beneficiary effect in lowering serum lipid levels. [6] Lauric acid present in the oil can kill some bacteria. [7] It is also known to have antibacterial and antifungal activity. [8] A study shows that extra virgin coconut oil is as effective and safe as mineral oil when used as a moisturizer, with absence of adverse reactions.[9] In the present study, we have examined the effect of CN oil on artificially inflicted burn wounds in rats.
| » Materials and Methods | | |
Animals
Twelve-week-old healthy Wistar rats weighing 150-200 g of either sex, bred locally in the animal house of Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, were selected for the study. They were housed under controlled conditions of temperature (23 ± 2°C), humidity (50 ± 5%) and 10-14 hours of light and dark cycles. The animals were housed individually in polypropylene cages containing sterile paddy husk bedding and free access to food and water ad libitum .
The study was conducted after obtaining the approval of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee.
Study design
The animals were randomly allocated into four groups of six animals each.
Group I was assigned as control.
Group II received the standard - silver sulphadiazine cream (SSD) 0.5 g of 1% daily
Group III received pure oil of CN 1 ml.
Group IV received both oil of CN and the standard SSD cream.
Dosing schedule
Oil of CN and SSD were administered topically, once daily from day 0 to the day of complete healing or the 21 st postoperative day, whichever occurred earlier, in the partial thickness burn wound model. [10]
Wound model
Partial thickness burn wounds were inflicted upon animals starved overnight and under pentobarbitone anesthesia, by pouring hot molten wax at 80°C into a metal cylinder with 300 mm 2 circular opening, placed on the back of the animal. [11]
The parameters observed in the study were as follows:
a) Epithelialization period: It was monitored by noting the number of days required for the eschar to fall off from the burn wound surface without leaving a raw wound behind.
b) Wound contraction: It was noted by following the progressive changes in wound area planimetrically, excluding the day of the wounding. The size of the wounds was traced on a transparent paper every two days, throughout the monitoring period. The tracing was then transferred to 1 mm 2 graph sheet, from which the wound surface area was evaluated. The evaluated surface area was then employed to calculate the percentage of wound contraction, taking the initial size of the wound, 300 mm 2 , as 100%, by using the following equation:
Percentage of wound contraction
Statistical analysis
The results were analyzed using One-way anova followed by post hoc test viz Tamhane's.
| » Results | | |
The mean period of epithelialization was found to decrease significantly in SSD treated group ( P < 0.001). In the combination group, it was not statistically significant [Table 1]. The percentage of burn wound contraction in the CN treated group was found to increase on the 8 th day onwards. On the 12 th day, the percentage of wound contraction was found to increase significantly in the standard group (73.2 ± 5.9, P < 0.001) and in the rats treated with the combination (82.1 ± 7.2, P < 0.001). On the 16 th day, the percentage of wound contraction was found to increase in all the three drug treated groups.
| » Discussion | | |
The present study shows a significant improvement in burn wound contraction in the rats treated with CN and the combination of CN and SSD. Since the combination of CN and SSD significantly influenced the process of burn wound healing, it can be said that oil of Cocos nucifera could be a cheap and effective adjuvant to other topical agents, for attaining faster healing of wounds, without complications. In the past, many studies have been done using natural products for the treatment of burn wounds, but these were mainly aimed at controlling infections. [12],[13] Anti-inflammatory activity of certain natural products could also play a part in the healing of burn wound. [14] Although the present study did not explore the exact mechanism of prohealing of CN, it could be attributed to both anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. A clinical study showed that in the treatment of superficial and deep second-degree burns, addition of another prohealing agent like hyaluronic acid significantly overcame the disadvantages of silver sulphadiazine. [15] Based on these, we propose that oil of Cocos nucifera could significantly enrich the assortment of topical medications available for the treatment of burns.
| » References | | |
| 1. | Bingham HG, Hudson D, Popp J. A retrospective review of the burn intensive care admissions for a year. J Burn Care Rehabil 1995;16:56-8.  |
| 2. | McGill V, Kowal-Vern A, Fisher SG, Kahn S, Gamelli RL. The impact of substance use on mortality and morbidity from thermal injury. J Trauma 1995;38:931-4. |
| 3. | Bowden ML, Thompson PD, Prasad JK. Factors influencing return to employment after a burn injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 1989;70:772. |
| 4. | Blanks T, Brown S, Cosgrave B, Woody J, Bentley V, O' Sullivan N, Graydon N. The Body shop Book of Wellbeing mind, body, and soul. Ebury Press London 1998; p.173-92. |
| 5. | USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 11 September 1996. |
| 6. | Nevin KG, Rajamohan T. Beneficial effects of virgin coconut oil on lipid parameters and in vitro LDL oxidation. Clin Biochem 2004;37:830-5. |
| 7. | Bergsson G, Arnfinnsson J, Steingrνmsson O, Thormar H. Killing of Gram-positive cocci by fatty acids and monoglycerides. APMIS 2001;109:670-8. |
| 8. | Chadeganipour M, Haims A. Antifungal activities of pelargonic and capric acid on Microsporum gypseum. Mycoses 2001;44:109-12. |
| 9. | Agero AL, Verallo-Rowell VM. A randomized double-blind controlled trial comparing extra virgin coconut oil with mineral oil as a moisturizer for mild to moderate xerosis. Dermatitis 2004;15:109-16. |
| 10. | SC Garg. Essential oils as therapeutics. Natural Product Radiance 2005;4:18-26. |
| 11. | Bairy KL, Somayaji SN, Rao CM. An experimental model to produce partial thickness burn wound. Indian J Exp Biol 1997;35:70-2. |
| 12. | HS Muhammad, S Muhammad. The use of Lawsonia inermis Linn. (henna) in the management of burn wound infections. Afr J Biotechnol 2005;4:934-7. |
| 13. | Gregory SR, Piccolo N, Piccolo MT, Piccolo MS, Heggers JP. Comparison of propolis skin cream to silver sulfadiazine: A naturopathic alternative to antibiotics in treatment of minor burns. J Altern Complement Med 2002;8:77-83. |
| 14. | Rodrνguez-Bigas M, Cruz NI, Suαrez A. Comparative evaluation of aloe vera in the management of burn wounds in guinea pigs. Plast Reconstr Surg 1988;81:386-9. |
| 15. | Koller J. Topical treatment of partial thickness burns by silver sulfadiazine plus hyaluronic acid compared to silver sulfadiazine alone: A double-blind, clinical study. Drugs Exp Clin Res 2004;30:183-90. |
[Table 1]
| This article has been cited by | | 1 |
Microfibers of fish waste-derived collagen and ion-doped bioactive glass in stimulating the healing sequences in full-thickness cutaneous burn injury |
|
| Pallabi Kayal, Sonali Jana, Pradyot Datta, Himanka Das, Biswanath Kundu, Samit Kumar Nandi | | Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology. 2023; : 104429 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 2 |
Development of gamma irradiated SSD-embedded hydrogel dyed with prodigiosin as a smart wound dressing: Evaluation in a MDR infected burn rat model |
|
| Nora M. Elkenawy, Heba M. Karam, Dina S. Aboul-Magd | | International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2022; 211: 170 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 3 |
Singular and Combined Healing Activity of Aqueous Extract of Artemisia Jordanica and Achillea Fragrantissima in Rabbit’s Incision, Excision and Burn Models. |
|
| Nafe M. Al-Tawarah | | Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal. 2022; 15(3): 1393 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 4 |
Evaluation of Wound Healing Activity of 80% Methanol Root Crude Extract and Solvent Fractions of Stephania abyssinica (Dill. & A. Rich.) Walp. (Menispermaceae) in Mice |
|
| Tesfagegn Gobezie Yiblet, Asegedech Tsegaw, Nejat Ahmed, Samuel Berihun Dagnew, Tesfaye Yimer Tadesse, Zemene Demelash Kifle | | Journal of Experimental Pharmacology. 2022; Volume 14: 255 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 5 |
Herbal Arsenal against Skin Ailments: A Review Supported by In Silico Molecular Docking Studies |
|
| Abdel Nasser B. Singab, Nada M. Mostafa, Iten M. Fawzy, Deepika Bhatia, Pooja Tanaji Suryawanshi, Atul Kabra | | Molecules. 2022; 27(19): 6207 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 6 |
Development and Evaluation of the Wound Healing Effect of a Novel Topical Cream Formula Based on Ginkgo biloba Extract on Wounds in Diabetic Rats |
|
| Sana Bardaa, Khouloud Makni, Ons Boudaouara, Tarek Bardaa, Naourez Ktari, Selim Hachicha, Riadh Ben Salah, Rim Kallel, Zouheir Sahnoun, Sami Boufi, Atef M. Al Attar | | BioMed Research International. 2021; 2021: 1 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 7 |
Antibacterial effect of coconut water and coconut oil on Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans |
|
| Maryam Baharvand, Mehdi Shokri, Sarah Hassani, Homa Mirzaei, Mina Mahdian | | Journal of Research in Dental and Maxillofacial Sciences. 2021; 6(3): 40 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 8 |
Prevalence and perceptions of infant massage in India: study from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh states |
|
| Sarika Chaturvedi, Bharat Randive, Ashish Pathak, Sharad Agarkhedkar, Girish Tillu, Gary L. Darmstadt, Bhushan Patwardhan | | BMC Pediatrics. 2020; 20(1) | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 9 |
Epidemiology of burn injury among children’s attended felege hiwot referral hospital in bahir dar town, amhara regional state, Ethiopia, 2017 |
|
| Firehiwot Girma Gessesse, Yibeltal Asmamaw Yitayew | | Journal of Pediatrics & Neonatal Care. 2020; 10(1): 21 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 10 |
Anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties of methanol leaf extract of Physalis angulata L. |
|
| Adam-Yakub Abdul-Nasir-Deen, Yaw Duah Boakye, Newman Osafo, Christian Agyare, Daniel Boamah, Vivian Etsiapa Boamah, Eugene Kusi Agyei | | South African Journal of Botany. 2020; 133: 124 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 11 |
Carrier oils in dermatology |
|
| Ané Orchard, Sandy F. van Vuuren | | Archives of Dermatological Research. 2019; 311(9): 653 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 12 |
African palm ethno-medicine |
|
| Marta Gruca,Anne Blach-Overgaard,Henrik Balslev | | Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2015; | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 13 |
Tea polyphenols as an antivirulence compound Disrupt Quorum-Sensing Regulated Pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa |
|
| Hongping Yin, Yifeng Deng, Huafu Wang, Wugao Liu, Xiyi Zhuang, Weihua Chu | | Scientific Reports. 2015; 5(1) | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 14 |
An In Vivo Comparison of Commonly Used Topical Antimicrobials on Skin Graft Healing After Full-Thickness Burn Injury |
|
| Ozan L. Abbas,Huseyin Borman,Taner Bahar,Nilgün M. Ertas,Mehmet Haberal | | Journal of Burn Care & Research. 2015; 36(2): e47 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 15 |
Caprylic Acid and Glyceryl Trinitrate Combination for Eradication of Biofilm |
|
| Joel Rosenblatt, Ruth A. Reitzel, Issam Raad | | Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 2015; 59(3): 1786 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 16 |
Medicinal plants and their natural components as future drugs for the treatment of burn wounds: an integrative review |
|
| Roodabeh Bahramsoltani,Mohammad Hosein Farzaei,Roja Rahimi | | Archives of Dermatological Research. 2014; | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 17 |
Niosomally encapsulated silver sulfadiazine gel for burn treatment |
|
| Sanket S. Dharashivkar,Sangeeta H. Sahasrabuddhe,Ashok N. Saoji | | Journal of Microencapsulation. 2014; : 1 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 18 |
Silver Sulfadiazine Nanosystems for Burn Therapy |
|
| Meenakshi Venkataraman,Mangal Nagarsenker | | AAPS PharmSciTech. 2013; 14(1): 254 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 19 |
Virgin Coconut Oil Supplementation Prevents Bone Loss in Osteoporosis Rat Model |
|
| Zil Hayatullina,Norliza Muhammad,Norazlina Mohamed,Ima-Nirwana Soelaiman | | Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2012; 2012: 1 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 20 |
Silver sulfadiazine for the treatment of partial-thickness burns and venous stasis ulcers |
|
| Andrew C. Miller,Rashid M. Rashid,Louise Falzon,Elamin M. Elamin,Shahriar Zehtabchi | | Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2012; 66(5): e159 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 21 |
Evaluation of antibacterial, antioxidant and wound healing properties of seven traditional medicinal plants from India in experimental animals |
|
| Ramasamy Thangavelu Narendhirakannan,Jesuthankaraj Grace Nirmala,Arunagiri Caroline,Suneera Lincy,Melda Saj,Divya Durai | | Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. 2012; 2(3): S1245 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | | | 22 |
Practices in Wound Healing Studies of Plants |
|
| Rupesh Thakur, Nitika Jain, Raghvendra Pathak, Sardul Singh Sandhu | | Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2011; 2011: 1 | | [VIEW] | [DOI] | | | 23 |
Investigation of wound healing activity of methanolic extract of stem bark of mimusops elengi linn |
|
| Gupta, N., Jain, U.K. | | African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines. 2011; 8(2): 98-103 | | [Pubmed] | | | 24 |
Effect of topical phenytoin on burn wound healing in rats |
|
| Meena, K., Mohan, A.V., Sharath, B., Somayaji, S.N., Bairy, K.L. | | Indian Journal of Experimental Biology. 2011; 49(1): 56-59 | | [Pubmed] | | | 25 |
Effect of virgin fatty oil of Pistacia lentiscus on experimental burn woundæs healing in rabbits |
|
| Djerrou, Z., Maameri, Z., Hamdi-Pacha, Y., Serakta, M., Riachi, F., Djaalab, H., Boukeloua, A. | | African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines. 2010; 7(3): 258-263 | | [Pubmed] | | | 26 |
Experimental evaluation of Albizia lebbeck Benth. stem bark for wound healing activity in mice |
|
| Gupta, N., Jain, U.K. | | Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia. 2010; 7(2): 777-784 | | [Pubmed] | | | 27 |
Antimicrobial Effect of Coconut Flour on Oral Microflora: An in vitro Study |
|
| Jamileh Bigom Taheri, Felipe Wilfredo Espineli, Hans Lu, Maryam Asayesh, Mahin Bakhshi, Mohammad Reza Nakhostin, Behzad Hooshmand | | Research Journal of Biological Sciences. 2010; 5(6): 456 | | [VIEW] | [DOI] | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
