Ointment-Based Combination of Dittrichia viscosa L. and Marrubium vulgare L. Accelerate Burn Wound Healing

Abstract

Burns constitute a major challenge in medical science, and plants can be part of the solution. <i>Dittrichia viscosa</i> L. (Asteraceae) and <i>Marrubium vulgare</i> L. (Lamiaceae) are widely used in Moroccan traditional medicine to treat several diseases and possess high potency to cure wounds. This study aimed to investigate in vivo the analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and burn-healing effects of both plants and their mixture. The hydro-ethanolic extract of both plants was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD). Burns were conducted on dorsal part of rats, and the wound healing process was evaluated during 21 days. Gallic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and quercetin were identified in <i>M. vulgare</i> extract. The analysis recorded the presence of caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, rutin, and quercetin in <i>D. viscosa</i>. The group treated with the mixture showed the lowest abdominal contractions (30.4 ± 7.52) with the highest percentage of inhibition (69.12 ± 7.04%). The inhibition of paw inflammation for <i>M. vulgare</i> was 47.65%, followed by <i>D. viscosa</i> (33.86%) and the mixture (30.41%). The mixture showed the highest wound contraction at day 7 (33.16 ± 14.33%) and day 14 (87.54 ± 3.98%). <i>D. viscosa</i> showed the highest wound contraction on the 21st day (99.28 ± 0.44%). In conclusion, both plants and their combination showed promising results for burn healing.