Burn wound healing potential of a polysaccharide from Sanguisorba officinalis L. in mice.

Sanguisorba officinalis L. is widely used in China to treat various wounds, particularly burns. The present study was carried to evaluate the healing efficacy of a purified polysaccharide (SOP) from the roots of S. officinalis L. on burn wound models in mice. The results indicated that oral administration of SOP (50 and 200mg/kg) significantly stimulated wound contraction and reduced epithelialization time as compared to control group, which might be mediated by promoting collagen synthesis as evidenced by an increase of hydroxyproline content. Elevation of IL-1β and VEGF content was also observed in mice following SOP treatment, which in turn facilitate epithelization and angiogenesis. Besides, histopathological examination of the wound tissues in the SOP-treated animals showed collagen deposition and epidermal formation. It may be concluded that the enhancement of burn wound healing by SOP might be due to promotional collagen synthesis and angiogenesis during skin wound repair as a result of the stimulation of hydroxyproline, IL-1β and VEGF production. The excellent wound-healing activities of SOP provide a scientific rationale for the development of plant-based product in the management of wounds.