RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Red ginseng (Rg) is an herbal product that has been used in traditional medicine in Asian and European countries for many years. PURPOSE: To study the effects of Rg extract on wound healing when used systemically, locally, or in combination in rats with experimentally induced diabetes. METHODS: A total of 60 rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: saline (control), local Rg (LRg), systemic Rg (SRg), and local + systemic = combined Rg (CRg). A full-thickness wound (2 cm × 1 cm) was created on the back of the rats, and treatment protocols were carried out for 14 days. Wound areas of all rats were measured on days 0 and 14. Tissue samples were taken from the wound areas for histopathologic evaluation of inflammation, epithelialization, and fibrosis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), CD4+, and CD8+ expressions were examined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Wound contraction measurements were 63.8%, 80.5%, 88.5%, and 86.6% in the control, LRg, SRg and CRg groups, respectively. Although significant differences were observed for all treated groups (LRg, SRg, and CRg) compared with the control group in terms of wound contraction, there was no difference among the treatment groups. VEGF-positive vessel/mm2 was observed 4.00 ± 0.75, 5.93 ± 0.70, 5.93 ± 1.93, and 7.93 ± 0.70 in the control, LRg, SRg and CRg groups, respectively. There was no difference between LRg and SRg in terms of VEGF expression, but there was significant difference for all other groups compared with each other. CONCLUSION: All usage methods of Rg extract increased wound contraction, and differences were observed compared with the control group. However, the authors believe that the combined usage was more effective due to higher VEGF expression levels and lower CD4+:CD8+ ratio.