Saffron Extract Ointment for Treatment of Open Wounds

Abstract

This study compared the saffron extract group to the control group for wound therapy in
rats. Twenty male white rats were housed in plastic cages, with containers randomly assigned
to two groups of ten rats. All rats underwent conventional surgery under general anesthesia,
resulting in surgical incision injuries on the dorsal region of their backs. A 2 cm long wound
was made using a surgical blade and ruler. Increased blood flow, edema, fibrous tissue, and
crust formation were observed during examination. Treatments were applied to the wound
surface once daily for seven days. Biopsies were taken on the seventh, fourteenth, and twentyfirst days to assess healing, with morphological observations reported on each of these days.
The best outcomes were observed in G2. On the final wound healing examination, G2 showed
significantly more wound contraction than G1. The evaluation indicated that G2 outperformed
G1 in wound assessment, supported by additional criteria. Histological changes after saffron
treatment revealed complete recovery of all skin layers, including the epidermis, dermis, and
underlying tissue. In contrast, G1 (control) showed a regenerated epidermal stratum,
interstitial spaces between the outer skin and underlying layers, swelling or vesicular lesions
within these layers, and swelling beneath the skin, with inflammatory cells, primarily
lymphocytes, present in the dermal layer.