Potential Curative Role of Hypericum Perforatum in an Experimental Rat Model of Tympanic Membrane Perforation

Our aim was to investigate the curative role of topical Hypericum perforatum (HP) in a rat model of tympanic membrane perforation in a histopathological manner.

This study was conducted on 30 female Sprague-Dawley rats. An HP extract was prepared as a suspension in pure olive oil. In all rats, the right and left tympanic membranes were perforated by a fine puncture under a microscope. Rats were randomly assigned to three groups. The HP extract was given as drops on a daily basis in Group 1, while olive oil alone was given on a daily basis in Group 2. In Group 3, the rats were allowed spontaneous recovery without any intervention. Three rats from each group were sacrificed on days 7, 14, and 21. Temporal bullae were removed for histopathological examination to evaluate fibroblast proliferation, leukocyte infiltration, neovascularization, and subepithelial thickness and to compare these among the groups.

In histopathological examination of the rats from each group on days 7, 14, and 21, there were significant differences in leukocyte infiltration, fibroblast proliferation, and subepithelial thickness. No significant difference was observed in neovascularization among the groups.

Compared with the spontaneous recovery group, HP was found to be more effective in a wound-healing model of the tympanic membrane. HP may be applied in clinical practice if it is shown to be safe with regard to ototoxicity.