Effect of Mexican Propolis on Wound Healing in a Murine Model of Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects the wound healing process, resulting in impaired healing or aberrant scarring. DM increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, fibroblast senescence and angiogenesis abnormalities, causing exacerbated inflammation accompanied by low levels of TGF—β and an increase in Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Propolis has been proposed as a healing alternative for diabetic patients because it has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and proliferative effects and important properties in the healing process. An ethanolic extract of Chihuahua propolis (ChEEP) was obtained and fractionated, and the fractions were subjected to High–Performance Liquid Chromatography with diode–array (HPLC–DAD), High–Performance Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (HPLC–MS) and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) analyses and 46 compounds were detected. Deep wounds were made in a murine DM model induced by streptozotocin, and the speed of closure and the wound tensile strength were evaluated by the tensiometric method, which showed that ChEEP had similar activity to Recoveron, improving the speed of healing and increasing the wound tensile strength needed to open the wound again. A histological analysis of the wounds was performed using H&E staining, and when Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and α—actin were quantified by immunohistochemistry, ChEEP was shown to be associated with improved histological healing, as indicated by the reduced MMP9 and α—actin expression. In conclusion, topical ChEEP application enhances wound healing in diabetic mice.