Morphological and histopathological study of edible bird's nest on wound healing in mice

Edible bird's nest (EBN) has a variety of pharmacological effects, such as improving immunity, antioxidant, promoting brain development, nerve prevention, degenerative diseases, and whitening and moisturizing skin, but its role in wound healing is still unknown. In this study, full-thickness excisional wounds were made on the back of mice to establish the wound model. The mice were treated with EBN, a positive drug, and 0.9% NaCl for 14 days. At days 3, 7, and 14 post-injury, the traumatic skin and intestinal contents of mice were collected. ELISA, western blot and quantitative PCR assay were used to evaluate the expression of inflammatory factor, protein, and mRNA. The damaged skin of the mice was analyzed by histopathology. Biochemical experiment was used to evaluate the content of hydroxyproline. Gas chromatograph was used to detect mouse intestinal contents. Results showed that EBN can narrow the wound area, reduce the expression of inflammatory factors, upregulate the expression of collagen and α-SMA, improve the damaged skin structure, increase the content of SCFAs and promote wound recovery rapidly. Current findings may suggest that EBN might serve as a potential effective substance for wound healing therapy either orally or externally.