Evaluation of ROCEN on Burn Wound Healing and Thermal Pain: Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Activation

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of liposomal arthrocen 2% (ROCEN) on the healing of burn wound and pain alleviation of thermal stimuli in a rat model of the second-degree burn. The results showed that ROCEN formulation significantly improved the main parameters of burn wound healing in a short period of time (7 days). The percentage of wound surface was also reduced significantly compared with the control group following once daily application of ROCEN for 14 days. The level of TGF (transforming growth factor)-β1 cytokine was also elevated significantly in the burn tissue treated with ROCEN almost the same as zinc oxide cream. Also, ROCEN showed a significant analgesic effect evaluated by 2 models of acute thermal pain, tail-flick and hotplate tests, which suggested that the formulation may act as a pain reliever in burn injuries. In conclusion, the application of the topical formulation of ROCEN may have benefits in the acceleration of the wound healing process and alleviation of the pain due to burn injuries.