The Morphology of Re-epithelized Skin Following Experimental Open Wound in Wistar Rat Treated with Vitellaria paradoxa Oil

Aims: The present study assessed the morphology of re-epithelized skin following experimental open wound in rat model treated with Vitellaria paradoxa oil.

Place and Duration of Study: Anatomy Department, Olabisi Onabano University, Ago Iwoye and Biochemistry Department, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria between June, 2018 and March, 2019.

Methodology: Excision wounds were surgically created on three groups of ten rats each (II-IV). Group I was assigned as normal control (no surgery), Group II was treated with Vitellaria paradoxa oil, Group III was treated with Dermazin and Group IV was treated with distilled water. Area (cm3) of the wound were measured on days 3, 6 and 9, the rate of wound healing, re-epithelization of the skin were assessed histologically while the thickness of the granular cells layer and the organization of the epidermal squamous cells were evaluated morphologically, the level of collagen was determined in the wounds treated with Vitellaria paradoxa oil and compared with the collagen level in wound treated with distilled water and dermazin.

Results: The wound areas significantly (P < 0.05) reduced in V. paradoxa oil treated group indicating the comparative efficacy of V. paradoxa oil. Histological observations indicated gradual and complete re-epithelization of the skin in Vitellaria paradoxa oil treatments group. Increased in collagen deposition in V. paradoxa oil treated group is also observed (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The results of this morphology indicated that V. paradoxa oil is a good potential in re-epithelization of open wound with no clinical disadvantage such as body weight, rectal temperature, packed cell volume using rats as animal model.