Topical application of Salvia officinalis hydroethanolic leaf extract improves wound healing process

Salvia officinalis L. (common sage) is a popular herb in the mint family, Lamiaceae. To our knowledge, literature regarding the wound healing properties hydroethanolic extract of Salvia officinalis is scarce. Here, we tried to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant properties and in vivo wound healing activity of the hydroethanolic extract of S. officinalis. About 105 healthy Wistar rats were inflicted with wound by excision and incisionand were randomly divided into five experimental groups: Group I, as control; Group II, received placebo; groups III-V treated with 1, 3 and 5% S. officinalis hydroethanolic leaf extract, respectively. Thehydroethanolic leaf extract of Salvia officinalis showed the highest total flavonoid and phenolic content and antioxidant capacity. Topical application of S. officinalis extract, especially higher dose,significantly (P <0.05) increased the percentage of wound contraction, a period of re-epithelialization, breaking strength ratio and upregulated hydroxyproline content versus control group. Additionally, S. officinalis significantly (P <0.05) increased the new vessel formation and Fibroblast distribution. Our results showed that S. officinalis,especially S. officinalis 5%,were significantly promoting wound healing effect and can be considered as an appropriate compound for clinical application in wound care.