Efficacy of topical application of coumarin on incisional wound healing in BALB/c mice

Wound healing is one of the main problems faced by medical scientists. Nowadays, herbal compounds are used to accelerate the repairing process. Coumarin is a plant compound with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. In the present study, the benefits of using coumarin in accelerating wound healing were investigated in mice. Sixty male BALB/c mice were used. After making a linear wound on the dorsum of the animals, they were randomly divided into five equal groups: the first and second groups received topical cream of coumarin at concentrations of 1% and 2%; the third and fourth groups received nitrofurazone cream (positive control) and eucerin cream (negative control), respectively. The fifth group as the sham group was not treated. Then on days 4, 7, 10, and 14 of experiment, biopsies were performed on three mice from each group. Histological examination was performedusing hematoxylin and eosin and Masson trichrome staining. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey tests. Inflammation significantly decreased in both experimental groups at days 4, 7, and 10, compared to the control groups. In the proliferation phase, fibroblast cells, granulation tissue formation, and epithelialization were significantly higher in both experimental groups than the control groups. In addition, collagen synthesis significantly increased in the experimental groups compared to the control groups. Topical application of coumarin had beneficial effects on different phases of wound healing in the skin of BALB/c mice.