Wound healing by topical application of antioxidant iron chelators: kojic acid and deferiprone

Kojic acid and deferiprone are iron chelators used for skin lightening and iron-overload treatment, respectively. As iron chelation and free radical scavenging are principal factors for wound healing, it was hypothesised that the local application of these compounds might accelerate wound healing in rats. Ointments of 3%, 6% and 9% of deferiprone and kojic acid were prepared and topical treatment was performed on in vivo wound models for 12 days twice in day for test and control groups. Topical treatment with 3%, 6% and 9% showed significant improvement in wound healing after 4 days (P < 0·001). Topical application of 3% and 6% deferiprone enhanced wound healing after 8 days (P < 0·026 and P < 0·001, respectively). Accelerated wound healing was seen using 3% and 6% deferiprone after 12 days (P = 0·003 and P < 0·001, respectively). DPPH scavenging assay was also performed to compare the antioxidant potencies of kojic acid and deferiprone. Deferiprone had more free radical scavenging power than kojic acid. Generally, deferiprone topical treatment, accelerated wound healing more than kojic acid because of its higher antioxidant and iron chelation abilities.