Elsevier

Burns

Volume 38, Issue 5, August 2012, Pages 719-723
Burns

Evaluation of wound healing activities of kefir products

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burns.2011.12.005Get rights and content

Abstract

Kefirs are natural probiotic compounds with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties which were tested in experimental burn injury. Kefir gels were prepared from an extract of continuously cultured kefir grains in MRS Broth medium for 24, 48 and 96 h. Similar burn injuries were made on dorsal skin surface of 56 rats. After 24 h the wounds were infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The infected rats were divided in to 7 groups of 8 rats each. The base gel, silver sulfadiazine ointment, kefir 24 h gel, kefir 48 h gel, kefir 96 h gel and kefir grains 96 h gel were applied twice a day. Burn wound area was measured at baseline, one and two weeks. After two weeks the animals in all groups were sacrificed and whole skin wound areas were removed and percentage of epithelization, scar formation, inflammation and angiogenesis were evaluated. Results indicated that at the end of the 2nd week the percentage of wound size were lowest in order of kefir 96 h gel < kefir grains 96 h gel < kefir 48 h gel < kefir 24 h gel < silver sulfadiazine 1% < untreated and based gel groups. At the end of the 2nd week the percentage of inflammation was lower and percentage of epithelization and scar formation was higher in order of kefir 96 h gel, kefir grains 96 h gel, kefir 48 h gel, kefir 24 h gel, silver sulfadiazine 1%, base gel and untreated groups. In conclusion the kefir gel therapy was an effective therapeutic approach to improve outcomes after severe burn as compared to conventional silver sulfadiazine treatment.

Introduction

Normal wound healing consists of a series of coordinated overlapping events or phases that involves acute and chronic inflammation, cell division, cell migration, chemotaxis and differentiation of numerous cell types [1], [2]. These events are tightly regulated and results in wound healing and restoration of the structural and functional integrities of the damaged tissues [3], [4]. Although in modern burn wound management, topical antibiotics such as silver sulfadiazine dressing is mainly used [5], [6], but due to its adverse effects, bacterial resistance and ineffective on healing process search for alternative compounds that speed the wound healing process is of an interest [7], [8], [9]. However the probiotic compounds may be of good choices. Probiotics are single strain or a mixture of different organisms and are claimed to strengthen the immune system, reduced inflammation and speed wound healing process following accumulation of lymphocytes, macrophages and poly morphonuclear in place of injury [10], [11]. Kefir grains are a probiotic mixture of diverse spectrum of bacteria and yeasts [10]. The microorganisms present in the kefir grains produce lactic acid [12]. Such products due to antibacterial properties inhibits the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms [13]. The anti-inflammatory properties of polysaccharide present in the kefir extract also influences wound healing process [14], [15]. Kefir grains also stimulate innate immune responses in defense against pathogens [16], [17]. However in the present study the effects of different kefir extracts were tested on wound healing on burn induced injury on rat skin (Fig. 1).

Section snippets

Preparation of kefir extracts and kefir gels

Kefir grains (50 g) were continuously cultured in 100 g/l of MRS Broth medium for 24, 48 and 96 h. The supernatants of culture fermentation were centrifuged, filtered and named as kefir 24 h, kefir 48 h and kefir 96 h. Three types of kefir gel products were prepared from above three extracts named as kefir 24 h gel, kefir 48 h gel and kefir 96 h gel and one type of kefir gel were prepared from kefir grains 96 h named as kefir grains 96 h gel [18], [19]. In brief the 100 g gel base was formulated by mixing

Antimicrobial activity of kefir in vitro

MIC and MBC ratios of kefir extracts 24 h, 48 h and 96 h against the pseudomonas aeruginosa were ranged from 250 mg/ml (MIC) to 250 mg/ml (MBC) (Table 1).

Microbial contamination of the burn wound

The microbial contamination was observed after one week in all the wound tissue in the untreated and gel base groups. The microbial contaminations were observed in 4 and 2 rats in kefir 24 h gel and kefir 48 h gel groups, respectively.

No microbial contaminations were observed in the kefir grains 96 h gel, kefir 96 h gel and silver sulfadiazine groups.

Discussion

Kefir extracts are typical probiotic mixture of several bacteria and yeasts with antimicrobial and inflammatory activity [25], [26]. In present study the wound healing activity and antimicrobial effects of kefir gels were tested in experimental burn wounds infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853). Of three types of kefir gels tested the antimicrobial activity of kefir 96 h gel was similar to silver sulfadiazine ointment but wound healing time were lower in kefir 96 h gel as compared to

Conflict of interest statement

No conflict to disclose.

Acknowledgements

We thank the Institute of Medicinal Plants and Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch, for their support in providing the necessary facilities for conducting this study.

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