Wound healing in second-degree burns in rats treated with silver sulfadiazine: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: This study aims to assess the wound healing efficacy in second-degree burns in rats treated with 1% silver sulfadiazine (SSD)—a sulfonamide antibiotic. Method: This is a systematic literature review and meta-analysis performed according to the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes) strategy. Results: The review found 100 studies in PubMed, Web of Science and other search engines. Of these, 70 studies were pre-selected after removing duplicates. After independent analysis by two reviewers, only seven studies met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. All studies except one showed faster wound closure by the application of silver sulfadiazine ointment. Using a random effects model, healing was faster in SSD-treated groups when compared to the control group on day 21, with a statistically significant mean difference of –2.72 days (95% confidence interval: –4.99, –0.45) between treatment and control groups (p<0.01). Conclusion: The results of this meta-analysis revealed that SSD aided in faster healing of second-degree burns.