Evaluation of the effects of Andiz extract on the experimentally wound in rats by microbiological and gene expression methods.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of andiz extract on wound healing and compare it with saline and chlorhexidine gluconate. Microbial DNA load was used to evaluate its antibacterial effects, and gene expression methods were used to assess its contribution to cytokine release and wound healing. Methods and Results: A standardized wound site was created with a 3 mm diameter punch on 32 male Wistar albino rats. The rats were divided into four groups: Control (n = 5), Saline (n = 9), Chlorhexidine gluconate (n = 9), and Andiz extract (n = 9). Five rats in the control group were euthanised without any treatment. Irrigations of the Saline, Chlorhexidine, and Extract groups were provided regularly. After the tissue samples were taken in the 1st week, 2nd week, and 3rd week, three rats were euthanized each week for each group. The total bacterial DNA load on the samples taken was determined by a nano spectrophotometer. β-actin was chosen as housekeeping, and target gene primers were created for TGF-β and IL-1β. Expression amounts of target genes were measured by Real-Time PCR with the application of the created primers. There is a significant difference between the Extract group and the other groups regarding total bacterial DNA load. The whole bacterial load was 185% less than the initial values. TGF-β and IL-1β genes evaluated regarding gene expression were measured at the highest value in the Extract group. Conclusions: This study showed the antibacterial effects of the Extract and its positive contributions to wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]