Preparation of an ointment containing Alkanna tinctoria root extract and evaluation of its effect on burns.

Abstract

Introduction: Burn is a tissue injury that has very severe consequences. Alkanna tinctoria is effective in wound healing due to its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The use of Alkanna species for treatment of burn wounds has a very strong history in traditional medicine. Aim: Study effect of an ointment containing Alkanna tinctoria extract on the treatment of grade 1 and 2 burns. Material and methods: This study was done over a one year period in Sina Hospital in Tabriz. Patients with inclusion criteria were divided into two groups of cases and controls. The control group received the current protocol of Sina Hospital and the case group was treated in addition to routine treatments with herbal formulation (Plant extraction, keratolytic test on extract and microbial test on final formulation was done). The parameters studied in both groups were regularly monitored and recorded. The results were evaluated by Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Results: This study was performed on 60 people (30 women and 30 men). Patients treated with herbal extract formulation experienced a shorter duration of treatment (accelerating epithelial layer formation) and better therapeutic response (no scar). Also, the use of this formulation prevents the development of burns to higher grades. Discussion: The duration of epithelial layer formation in the control group was 6.5 ± 0.2 and for the group treated with alkanna extract 3.4±0.3 days. Also, the rate of complete recovery in patients at the end of the study was 46.7% in the control group and 73.3% in the case group. Consequently, the use of an ointment containing 20% of Alkanna tinctoria root extract accelerates the recovery by 3.1±0.1 days and also improves the quality of the treatment by 26.6%. These differences are statistically significant (P<0.05) and indicate the efficacy of the prepared formulation to existing therapies.