Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. ethanol extract enhancement of the efficacy of the collagen scaffold in wound closure: a study in a full-thickness-wound mouse model.

Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. is a Thai herb that is effective in wound healing. We sought to quantitatively determine whether or not the combined application of Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. and a collagen scaffold will increase wound closure and angiogenesis. Balb/c mice (body weight: 22-25 g) were anesthetized with sodium thiopental. The dorsal skin incision measuring 1.5 × 1.5 cm was made and then deepened using scissors to produce a full-thickness incision down to the level of the panniculus carnosus. The size of the wound was approximately 10% of the total body surface area. The collagen sheet was implanted onto the wound. Animals were divided into 4 major groups as follows: wound with normal saline (W-NSS), wound treated with 0.3 g/kg BW of Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. extract (W-AE (0.3 g/kg.bw)), wound implanted with collagen scaffold (W-Coll), and wound implanted with collagen scaffold and treated with 0.3 g/kg BW of Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl. (W-Coll-AE combination). On day 14, the W-Coll-AE group showed decreased wound areas and increased capillary vascularity (CV) when compared to the other 3 groups, W-NSS, W-AE0.3, and W-Coll. In the present study, the combination of AE0.3 with collagen showed the best effect on skin angiogenesis and promoted wound closure with less neutrophil infiltration.