Evaluation of Ointments with Daldinia eschscholtzii in Wound Healing in an In Vivo Model

Fungi are a source of a variety of secondary metabolites of importance in different areas of biotechnology. Several compounds have been characterized with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activity from fungi of the division of the Ascomycota, among which is the species Daldinia eschscholtzii, an endophyte fungus of pantropical distribution. In this study, we evaluated the effect of an ointment made with D. eschscholtzii on the wound healing of BALB/c mice. The species was corroborated using a molecular marker Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS1 and ITS4). The extracts and dust of the fungus were considered nontoxic as they caused a mortality of <15% in the nematode Panagrellus redivivus, and experimental ointments had no adverse effects on the skin of BALB/c mice. Wounds treated with the D. eschscholtzii ointments had 99.9-100% wound contraction after 17 days, which was similar to commercial healing (positive control). As such, the ointment of D. eschscholtzii is a natural alternative to improve wound healing.