Bensal HP treatment for burn and excision wounds: An in-vivo assessment of wound healing efficacy and immunological impact

Natural ingredients are of increasing interest within the field of dermatology. Bensal HP, an ointment containing 3% oak bark extract, 3% salicylic acid, and 6% benzoic acid, is believed to be efficacious against a variety of inflammatory and infectious dermatidites. Here we evaluate Bensal HP’s ability to influence wound healing, which has yet to be studied in this setting. Bensal HP applied to burn wounds on the dorsal surface of BALB/c mice significantly attenuated wound expansion in the first few days post-injury as compared to controls. Histological analysis mirrored these findings with accelerated maturation of the wound bed and increased collagen deposition by the end of the study period. Cytokine analysis revealed decreased IL-6 and TNFα secretion in the Bensal HP-treated burns as compared to controls. Similarly, excisional wounds treated with Bensal HP demonstrated comparable wound healing as compared to controls with positive histologic features and increased collagen deposition. Furthermore, IL-6 production was attenuated in the Bensal-HP treated wounds at day 3, with no differences appreciated in IL-6 at day 7 or in TNFα at either time point. While Bensal-HP represents a therapeutic strategy to enhance the histologic and immunologic milieu in burn and excisional wounds, further study is needed to fully elucidate the full potential of this treatment.