Burn represents a major health problem worldwide, that affect people of all ages, and associated with high mortality and morbidity and economic loss. Failure of the current treatment strategies to control many cases of burns, the local and systemic adverse effects that are produced by many topical antibiotics, especially in infants, children, pregnant ladies, and elderly people, and the delay of healing caused by many antiseptics, make a strong motive to find out a new safe and effective topical products. Many recent studies were done to find out natural products that have antimicrobial properties, and enhance the healing process. Aims: to find out if there is a possible beneficial therapeutic effects of cod liver oil, olive oil, liquorice and pomegranate ointments, when used alone or in combination with silver sulfadiazine (SSD) cream, on the healing of thermally induced burns. Materials and methods: thermal burns were induced in 60 rabbits, by application of hot metal rod of 300 degree C on the skin for 4 seconds. The burn wounds were treated by topical application of Vaseline (control group), SSD cream 1% (treatment control), cod liver oil, olive oil, liquorice and pomegranate peel ointments in combination with SSD cream were used in Part I, and these agents were used alone in Part II. The burn wounds surface areas and the duration of healing were used as parameters for comparision. Serum albumin, zinc and copper levels were measured for rabbits in Part I only.
Results: all the tested agents (both alone and in combination with SSD cream), showed significant reduction in the mean burn wounds surface areas, and the mean duration of healing of these wounds. Serum albumin and zinc levels were significantly reduced after burn induction, then gradually increased with healing, and the topical application of the tested agents accelerated their improvement. Conclusions: topical application of each of the tested agents was significantly effective for treatment of burn wounds (both alone and in combination with SSD cream), and there was no significant difference between the use of each of these agents alone or in combination with SSD cream.