Evaluation of Therapeutic Intervention with a Natural Product in Cutaneous Wound Healing: The Use of Capybara Oil

Abstract

Capybara oil is commonly used for cutaneous wound healing in traditional South American medicine, although its beneficial effect has never been experimentally proven. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the topical application of capybara oil on skin wounds in Swiss mice. The following characteristics of the wounds were observed and evaluated: wound contraction and reepithelialization, the number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and mast cells, the thickness of the neoepidermis, and the distribution of collagen and elastic fibers. Our study showed that oil extracted from subcutaneous capybara fat was beneficial for wound healing, indicating that capybara oil plays an important role in promoting tissue repair.