Diabetic
wounds are major issues in patients with diabetes. Medicinal plants of Teucrium polium and Aloe vera have
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may be profitable for diabetic patients. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of co-administration of
ointments prepared from Teucrium polium hydroethanolic extract (TPEO) and
Aloe vera gel (AVGO) on excisional wound healing in a diabetic mouse model. Following the induction of diabetes and circular excisional
wound (7 mm), the mice were divided into six groups, namely (Ⅰ) control mice treated with
mupirocin (as a standard drug), (Ⅱ and Ⅲ) the mice treated with 5 and 10 % TPEO, (Ⅳ and Ⅴ) the mice treated with 5 and 10 % AVGO, and (Ⅵ) the mice treated with a combination of 5% TPEO and 5% AVGO (TPEO+AVGO). To investigate the
wound area, we further evaluated the
wound area ratio, histological analysis and the serum levels of tissue
antioxidant capacity (TAC) and
malondialdehyde (MDA),
tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), immunohistochemistry staining for
vascular endothelial growth factor (
VEGF),
insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1),
glucose transporter-1(GLUT-1) and
collagen type 1 and
mRNA expression levels for
VEGF,
IGF-1, GLUT-1 and
fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2). The results showed that administration of the
ointments, especially in combination form, shortened the inflammatory phase and reduced the levels of tissue MDA, TNF-α and IL-1β compared to
mupirocin group (P < 0.05). Moreover, fibroblasts proliferation,
collagen deposition,
VEGF,
IGF-1, GLUT-1-positive cells and level of TAC, and expressions of
VEGF,
IGF-1, GLUT-1 and
FGF-2 were significantly (P < 0.05) increased in TPEO and AVGO, and especially in the mice treated with the mixed form. Therefore, topical co-administration of TPEO + AVGO accelerated open diabetic wound healing through shortening the inflammatory phase and increasing cell proliferation and
collagen deposition.