COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF ZOUSH OINTMENT AS A NATURAL PRODUCT AND SLIVER SULFADIAZINE ON THE SECOND-DEGREE BURN WOUNDS HEALING IN MICE: ROLE OF ANTIOXIDANTS AND THE GENE EXPRESSION OF MATRIX METALLOPROTINASE-9

Despite progress in the treatment of burn wounds, effective wound healing remains a severe challenge.In present study, the efficacy of ZOUSH ointment on second-degree burn wound in an animal model has been investigated through antioxidant analysis.The expression of Mmp-9 as a repair factor was measured as well.After induction of second-degree burn, eighty female BALB/C mice were randomly divided into four groups.The first group was treated with ZOUSH, the second group received Silver Sulfadiazine (SSD), the third group received Eucerin, and the control group no medication.Every five days, skin and blood samples of five sacrificed mice were collected and stored at -80°C for further biochemical and histological analyses.Results showed a significant increase in Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), and Glutathione (GSH.);however, Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration significantly decreased in both samples of the ZOUSH treated groups in comparison with the control group (p≤ 0.05).Evaluating the wound healing process during the treatment showed that ZOUSH accelerates the wound healing process compared to other groups.Gene expression analysis showed increased Mmp-9 expression level more than ten times compared to the untreated group.According to present study results, ZOUSH ointment proved highly effective in the wound healing of the second-degree burn.Thus, ZOUSH ointment seems to be a reliable alternative to current burn wound therapies.