Effects of Topical Sambucus ebulus Combined with Systemic Losartan Potassium on Burn Wound Healing and Vascular Remodeling in Rats
| Author | Danial Asadpour | en |
| Author | Laya Ghahari | en |
| Author | Mohsen Ebrahimi | en |
| Author | Mitra Yousefpour | en |
| Orcid | Danial Asadpour [0009-0006-3368-5554] | en |
| Orcid | Laya Ghahari [0000-0003-3946-8965] | en |
| Orcid | Mohsen Ebrahimi [0000-0001-6862-6972] | en |
| Orcid | Mitra Yousefpour [0000-0002-9670-2685] | en |
| Issued Date | 2026-06-30 | en |
| Abstract | Background: Burn injuries disrupt the skin barrier and trigger a complex repair response. Dysregulation of this response can lead to delayed wound closure, impaired microvascular dynamics, and pathological scarring. Silver sulfadiazine is widely used clinically; however, its potential cytotoxicity toward fibroblasts and keratinocytes may delay re-epithelialization. Sambucus ebulus has local anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that may promote epithelial regeneration, whereas systemic losartan potassium modulates renin–angiotensin system signaling and may attenuate tissue fibrosis and regulate structural remodeling. Objectives: This study evaluated whether combining topical Sambucus ebulus ointment with systemic losartan potassium accelerates burn wound closure, enhances epithelial regeneration, and optimizes vascular remodeling over time in a rat model. Methods: Forty adult male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to four groups (n = 10 per group) after induction of a standardized second-degree burn wound: Untreated control, topical 10% Sambucus ebulus ointment, topical 1% silver sulfadiazine, and combination treatment with topical 10% Sambucus ebulus ointment plus losartan potassium (50 mg/kg/day) administered via oral gavage. Macroscopic wound healing was assessed on days 7, 14, and 21. At each time point, three animals per group were euthanized for histopathological evaluation, leaving n = 10, 7, and 4 animals per group on days 7, 14, and 21, respectively. Histopathological assessment included measurement of epithelial thickness and quantification of blood vessels, averaged across multiple randomly selected microscopic fields per animal, with the individual animal serving as the statistical unit of analysis. Statistical comparisons were performed using a two-way mixed-effects model followed by Tukey's post hoc test. Results: The combination group showed the greatest improvement in wound closure, achieving complete closure by day 21. Wound closure was significantly greater than that in the control, Sambucus ebulus, and silver sulfadiazine groups (P < 0.05). The combination group also exhibited significantly greater epithelial thickness than the control group (P < 0.01). Histomorphometric analysis showed that combination therapy significantly increased early neovascularization on day 7 (P < 0.01), followed by a significant physiological reduction in microvessel density by day 21 compared with that in the control group (P < 0.001) and the monotherapy groups (P < 0.05), suggesting accelerated tissue maturation and vascular remodeling. Conclusions: The combination of topical Sambucus ebulus and systemic losartan potassium accelerated macroscopic wound closure, enhanced epithelial regeneration, and promoted physiological vascular maturation. These findings suggest that this dual-modality approach may coordinate early regenerative stimulation with subsequent tissue remodeling and warrant further investigation for thermal burn management. | en |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.69107/amh-174008 | en |
| URI | https://brieflands.com/journals/amhsr/articles/174008 | en |
| Keyword | Sambucus Ebulus | en |
| Keyword | Losartan Potassium | en |
| Keyword | Burn Wound Healing | en |
| Keyword | Epithelial Regeneration | en |
| Keyword | Vascular Density | en |
| Publisher | Brieflands | en |
| Title | Effects of Topical <i>Sambucus ebulus</i> Combined with Systemic Losartan Potassium on Burn Wound Healing and Vascular Remodeling in Rats | en |
| Type | Research Article | en |