Castanea sativa Flower Extract Accelerates Burn Wound Healing via Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms in...

Background/Objectives: Burn injuries in children represent a significant clinical challenge, as current standard-of-care agents such as silver sulfadiazine (SSD) present limitations, including delayed re-epithelialization. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut) flower extract-rich in polyphenols and flavonoids with documented antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties but previously uncharacterized in burn wound healing-applied topically on second-degree burn wounds in a juvenile rat model, comparing its efficacy to SSD and their combination. Methods: Forty five-week-old female Wistar albino juvenile rats were randomly allocated into five groups (n = 8): burn control (Group C), SSD monotherapy (Group BS), vaseline vehicle/sham (Group Sham), 5% chestnut flower extract (Group BCs), and SSD combined with extract (Group BSCs). All topical treatments were applied once daily for 14 days. Healing outcomes were assessed by macroscopic wound closure analysis, systemic organ stress markers (ALT, AST, BUN), oxidative stress indices (MDA, SOD, CAT, GPx, GSH), inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10), and histopathological/immunohistochemical analyses (Ki-67, VEGF). Results: All active treatment groups demonstrated significant reductions in organ damage markers, oxidative stress burden, and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, alongside enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, compared to Group C (p < 0.001). Extract-treated groups exhibited more pronounced suppression of oxidative and inflammatory parameters than SSD monotherapy. The combination group (BSCs) achieved optimal wound healing outcomes, including near-complete re-epithelialization, superior collagen organization, and prominent angiogenesis, corroborated by the highest Ki-67 proliferation index and VEGF expression scores (p < 0.001). Conclusions:C. sativa flower extract significantly accelerates burn wound healing via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. When combined with SSD, a synergistic effect is observed that overcomes the re-epithelialization delays associated with SSD monotherapy. These findings support C. sativa flower extract as a promising candidate for further preclinical and clinical investigation in pediatric burn management, supporting the ethnopharmacological relevance of this plant in traditional wound care practices; further safety and efficacy validation is required before clinical translation.