Purpose: To evaluate the healing effect of the topic administration of the hydroalcoholic extract of aroeira in open wounds in the dorsocostal region of rats.
Methods: Sixty Wistar rats, males, were used. In all animals one skin fragment was removed, with two centimeters in diameter. Inhalatory anesthesia with ethyl ether was done, The rats were divided in two groups of 30 animals: aroeira group, submitted to an topic application of the hydroalcoholic extract of the plant, and control group, with the same process but with 0.9% saline solution. Each group was divided in three sub-groups of 10 animals according to the period of observation: 7, 14 and 21 days. The areas of the injuries were analyzed by the macroscopic aspect and digital planimetry, and the resected segments of the wounds were studied by optic microscopy stained with hematoxilin-eosine and trichromium of Masson.
Results: The macroscopic findings showed early complete reepitelization in the control group by the 14th day. According to the digital planimetry the average wound areas of the rats from the control group (0.5278 cm(2)) had been smaller than those from the wounds of the rats of the aroeira group (0.6897 cm(2)), with statistical significance to the 14th day (p=0.036). The histologic study showed statistical difference (p=0.023) regarding the mononuclear cells in 14th day of evaluation, with larger number in the aroeira group, without significant differences regarding other parameters in all the remaining days.
Conclusion: The topic use of the hydroalcoholic extract of aroeira delayed the reepitelization of the skin wounds in rats.