Topical application of Azadirachta indica improves epidermal wound healing in hyperglycemic rats

Diabetes mellitus, which is characterized by hyperglycemia, leads to poor wound healing. Azadirachta indica has antidiabetic properties and further promotes the healing of epidermal wounds. Here, we investigated the effects of topical application of A. indica extract on excisional lesions in hyperglycemic rats. The animals were divided into four groups ( n =15): non-hyperglycemic and treated with carbopol gel (NH), non-hyperglycemic and treated with A. indica + carbopol gel (NHT), hyperglycemic and treated with carbopol gel (H), and hyperglycemic and treated with A. indica + carbopol gel (HT). Lesions were made on the animals’ back, with a punch of 1.5-cm diameter. Samples of the skin/lesion were collected on the 2nd, 7th, and 14th days post-injury for histological examination (inflammatory infiltrate, blood vessels, and fibroblasts), biochemical analysis (MPO [myeloperoxidase], neutrophilic infiltrate and NAG [N-acetylglycosaminidase], and macrophagic infiltrate), oxidative stress (oxidants such as NO [nitric oxide] and DCF [2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate], oxidative damage by carbonyl sulfhydryl radicals, and antioxidants such as SOD [superoxide dismutase] and GSH [glutathione]), and analysis of reepithelialization by assessing the wound healing rate. The topical application of A . indica extract in the excisional wounds of hyperglycemic rats accelerated wound healing through anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, angiogenic, and fibrillogenic effects. Thus, these results show that A. indica extract has the potential to be used as a therapeutic agent for treating excisional wounds in hyperglycemic.