The healing effect of earthworm’s hydro-alcoholic body extract on skin wound in goldfish (Carassius auratus gibelio)

Wound healing is a complex programmed sequence of cellular and molecular processes. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the ability of earthworm’s hydro-alcoholic body extract (EBE) to heal the experimental skin wound in goldfish (Carassius auratus gibelio).

Fish (independent triplicate, 14/group), for 14 days, were divided into 5 groups 1) negative control (Unwounded); 2) pseudo-control (sham): wound treated with EBE carrier (mixture of castor oil and white vaseline); 3) Positive control: wound treated with sodium phenytoin 1%; 4) 1 mg/gr EBE-treated wound, 5) 10 mg/gr EBE-treated wound. In this study, macroscopic and microscopic evaluations and collagen turnover (Hydroxyproline content) in the skin, along with determination of lysozyme activity in blood sera were carried out.

In fish in group 4 (1 mg/gr EBE-treated wound), an increase in the epithelium diameter, good presence and appropriate synthesis of collagen with and low edema in dermis; increased hydroxyproline content; and elevated blood lysozyme activity were observed comparing to other groups.

Our results revealed that application of 1 mg/gr EBE might be as an effective medicinal material in the process of animal wound healing particularly in aquatics.