EPIDERMAL WOUND HEALING USING HONEY & ALOEVERA COMBINATION ON THE SKIN OF WEST AFRICAN DWARF GOATS
Keywords:
Aloe Vera, Honey, Wound healing, Skin, West African Dwarf GoatsAbstract
This study was undertaken to compare the rates of wound healing on the body of West African Dwarf goats, using the epidermal wound contraction method, with the topical application of the mixture of Honey and Aloe-vera extracts in the ratio of 1 to 1 (50% honey and 50% aloe-vera) on the wound sites. Five male adult West African Dwarf (WAD) goats, weighing between 10-12kg were used. Wound contraction was measured on Days 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13. Skin biopsies were taken for histopathology on Days 0, 4, 8 and 12 to represent the phases of wound healing- inflammatory, proliferative and maturation.
Histology revealed the dynamics of macrophages and inflammatory cells, representing the phases of wound healing.
Healing can go on for a longer time than the period considered in this study, taking years but this work used the “scab falling-off” as a marker for healing. Healing in the experimental animals was concluded on Day 8, as evident by the scab falling off, while it occurred on Day 13 in the control animals.
Histopathology showed normal histological features of normal skin in biopsies of day 0 from both experimental and control sites, earlier inflammatory and maturation phase in the experimental sites’ biopsies, as seen in the increased population of inflammatory cells such as macrophages, neutrophils, coupled with massive fibroblastic response causing faster healing than the wounds at the control sites.
References
Boekema, B.K., Pool, L., & Ulrich, M.M. (2013). The effect of a honey-based gel and silver sulphadiazine on bacterial infections of in vitro burn wounds. Burns: Journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries, 39(4), 754–759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2012.09.008
Chang, H.Y., Sneddon, J.B., Alizadeh, A.A., Sood, R., West, R.B., Montgomery, K., Chi, J.T., Van De Rijn, M., Botstein, D., & Brown, P.O. (2004). Gene expression signature of fibroblast serum response predicts human cancer progression: similarities between tumours and wounds. PLoS Biology, 2(2), E7. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0020007
Eyarefe, O.D. & Oguntoye, C.O. (2016). Honey, An Unexplored Topical Wound Dressing Agent in Nigerian Veterinary Practice. Sokoto Journal of Veterinary Sciences 14(3), 8–17.
Garg, H.G. (2000). Scarless Wound Healing. New York Marcel Dekker, Inc. Electronic book.
Guo, S., & Dipietro, L.A. (2010). Factors affecting wound healing. Journal of Dental Research, 89(3), 219–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034509359125
Gupta, S.S., Singh, O., Bhagel, P.S., Moses, S., Shukla, S., & Mathur, R.K. (2011). Honey dressing versus silver sulfadiazene dressing for wound healing in burn patients: a retrospective study. Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, 4(3), 183–187. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-2077.91249
Hashemi, S.A., Madani, S.A., & Abediankenari, S. (2015). The Review on Properties of Aloe Vera in Healing of Cutaneous Wounds. BioMed Research International, 2015, 714216. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/714216
Jeevan, K.G. (2018). Factors affecting wound healing. Conference: WOUNDCON-2018, Indian Society of Wound Management-20th Annual Conference at SDM College of Ayurveda & Hospital, Hassan. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32275.32804.
Kwakman, P.H., & Zaat, S.A. (2012). Antibacterial components of honey. IUBMB Life, 64(1), 48–55. https://doi.org/10.1002/iub.578
Maghsoudi, H., Salehi, F., Khosrowshahi, M.K., Baghaei, M., Nasirzadeh, M., & Shams, R. (2011). Comparison between topical honey and mafenide acetate in the treatment of burn wounds. Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters, 24(3), 132–137.
Majtan, J., Klaudiny, J., Bohova, J., Kohutova, L., Dzurova, M., Sediva, M., Bartosova, M. & Majtan, V. (2012). Methylglyoxal-induced modifications of significant honeybee proteinous components in manuka honey: Possible therapeutic implications, Fitoterapia, 83(4), 671-677. ISSN 0367-326X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2012.02.002.
Midwood, K.S., Williams, L.V., & Schwarzbauer, J.E. (2004). Tissue repair and the dynamics of the extracellular matrix. The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, 36(6), 1031–1037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocel.2003.12.003
Nguyen D.T., Orgill D.P., & Murphy G.T. (2009). The pathophysiologic basis for wound healing and cutaneous regeneration. In: Orgill D.P., Blanco C., editors. Biomaterials for Treating Skin Loss. Elsevier; Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 25–57.
Olaifa, A.K., & Adeyemi, I.M. (2017). Epidermal Wound Contraction Rates on Different Parts of the Body of West African Dwarf Goats. Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, 1, 1. doi: 0.4172/2574-2868.100007
Olaifa, K.A. (2016). Effects of aloe vera gel application on epidermal wound healing in the domestic rabbit. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 5(1), 101–105. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20164531
Phillipo, L.C. (2015). “Wounds”- Slideshare. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/sadrumohamed/wounds-47466389
Rasche, H. (2001). Haemostasis and thrombosis: an overview, European Heart Journal Supplements, 3(Q), Q3–Q7, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1520-765X(01)90034-3
Rieger, S., Zhao, H., Martin, P., Abe, K., & Lisse, T.S. (2015). The role of nuclear hormone receptors in cutaneous wound repair. Cell Biochemistry and Function, 33(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbf.3086
Saikaly, S.K., & Khachemoune, A. (2017). Honey and Wound Healing: An Update. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 18(2), 237–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40257-016-0247-8
Surjushe, A., Vasani, R., & Saple, D.G. (2008). Aloe vera: a short review. Indian Journal of Dermatology, 53(4), 163–166. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5154.44785
Takzare, N., Hosseini, M.J., Hasanzadeh, G., Mortazavi, H., Takzare, A., & Habibi, P. (2009). Influence of Aloe Vera gel on dermal wound healing process in rat. Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, 19(1), 73–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/15376510802442444
Thomas, H.C. (2011). Checklist for factors affecting wound healing. Advances in Skin & Wound Care, 24(4), 192. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASW.0000396300.04173.ec
Zbuchea A. (2014). Up-to-date use of honey for burns treatment. Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters, 27(1), 22–30.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 ABAYOMI KAYODE OLAIFA, VICTOR TAIWO ABIODUN, OLANREWAJU SAMUEL OLAIFA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
