Natural Product-Based Topical Formulation for Burn Wound Healing: A Controlled Study in a Murine Model

Background: Natural products and multicomponent topical formulations are increasingly investigated for tissue repair, but their efficacy compared with established treatments remains insufficiently characterised. This study evaluated the wound-healing effects of a traditional multicomponent ointment compared with silver sulfadiazine (SSD) in a standardised murine model of second-degree burn injury.

Methods: Standardised second-degree burns were induced in 45 mice using a 1 cm² plate heated to 90 °C for 10 s. Animals were randomly allocated to normal saline, SSD, or a traditional topical ointment containing olive oil, lanolin, beeswax, honey, turmeric, salt, henna, egg yolk, and Saqqez (natural gum). The ointment composition was based on a traditional recipe described in the literature, rather than systematic optimisation of ingredient proportions. Treatments were administered daily. Following the loss of six animals, 39 animals were included in the final analysis. Wound area and histopathological parameters, including inflammation, re-epithelialisation, angiogenesis, collagen organisation, and fibroblast proliferation, were evaluated on Days 7 and 14.

Results: Treatment group did not significantly affect wound area overall (P = 0.740), whereas wound contraction progressed significantly over time (P < 0.001). Both SSD and the traditional ointment showed improved histopathological healing compared with saline. On Day 7, the ointment was associated with greater angiogenesis, more compact collagen fibres, and more pronounced early tissue restoration. By Day 14, SSD showed better collagen organisation, fibroblast proliferation, and tissue maturation. No significant overall morphological differences were observed between the two active-treatment groups.

Conclusions: The traditional multicomponent ointment showed favourable histopathological features of burn wound repair, particularly during the early healing phase, although no significant overall differences were detected between the active treatments. These findings support further investigation of the preparation, including physicochemical characterisation, optimisation of ingredient proportions, and assessment of stability, antimicrobial activity, safety, and clinical applicability.