Guava leaf extract and polyvinylpyrrolidone hydrogel for rabbit oral wounds

A wound is defined as damage or loss of continuity to the skin or body tissue which can cause disruption to the body's anatomical structure. Wounds can be caused by several things, such as post-operative wounds, trauma, contact with heat sources, chemicals, and accidents. One of the potential complications from wounds and maxillofacial surgery is dehiscence. The combination of guava leaf ethanol extract (Psidium guajava Linn) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) hydrogel is expected to help the healing process of traumatic wounds on the oral mucosa by increasing the number of fibroblasts, epithelialization, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels, and decreasing interleukin-16 (IL-16) levels.

This research was an experimental test, using 28 rabbits as experimental animals. A traumatic wound is an incision made 2 cm laterally from the left central incisor and along the curve of the tooth. The wound reaches the gum line from the incision on the facial aspect to the midline of the papilla. The animals were divided into four treatment groups.: group 1 - the intervention group with wounds healed and given a combination gel; group 2 - the intervention group with wounds not healed and given a combination gel; group 3 - the observed group with wound healed and given placebo gel; group 4 - the observed group with wounds not healed and given placebo gel. There was an increase in the number of fibroblasts, epithelialization, VEGF levels, and a decrease in IL-16 levels between the treatment and control groups.

This study showed an increase in fibroblast levels in the treatment group (64.50 ± 4.43) which was higher than the control group (55.67 ± 4.04), with P = 0.041 as well as an increase in epithelialization in the treatment group. The results of the analysis in this study support the superiority of this gel combination in accelerating wound healing through a positive influence on VEGF levels and angiogenesis. In this study, IL-6 levels on day 3 showed a decrease of 25% in the treatment group.

The combination of guava leaf ethanol gel and PVP hydrogel is an innovative therapy with high potential to accelerate wound healing, especially in chronic or difficult-to-heal wounds, with minimal risk of excessive inflammation and scar tissue formation.