In Vitro Determination of Wound Healing Potential of Axonge

BACKGROUND: Research on treatment alternatives that improve wound healing is an ever-evolving area in medicine, and a wound healing agent that carries minimal pain, discomfort, and scarring for patients with burn wounds, venous and decubitis ulcers, traumatic wounds, and many others is needed. The phases of wound healing include homeostasis, inflammation, migration, proliferation, and maturation. Adeps suillus (axonge) is known as a therapeutic agent for skin diseases and mainly consists of triglycerides.

OBJECTIVE: In the current study, the proliferation effect of axonge was determined on human normal epidermal keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells and human normal foreskin fibroblast cell line (BJ) cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experimental steps included preparation of HaCaT and BJ cell lines, axonge's stable tetrazolium salt-based proliferation assay, and evaluation of the wound healing effect of axonge on HaCaT and BJ cells.

RESULTS: Axonge concentrations of 3.12 µg/mL, 6.25 µg/mL, 12.5 µg/mL, 25 µg/mL, and 50 µg/mL showed no cytotoxic effect on both HaCaT and BJ cells for 24, 48, and 72 hours. Considering the wound area of HaCaT cells, after 6 hours the wound healing effect of the axonge group reached almost 70% and then stopped. According to the results of the study on BJ cells, after 6 hours axonge wound closure was found to be 50% while the control group was only 10%.

CONCLUSION: On the basis of this study, the authors determined that axonge might have potential for use in wound healing.