Wound contraction effect of bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) topical cream on induced second-degree burn in male albino mice.

The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) topical cream on induced second-degree burns in male albino mice by utilizing a randomized controlled trial experimental research design to potentially replace the commercialized silver sulfadiazine cream. The study involved eighteen (18) healthy male albino mice weighing from 20 to 25 grams. Induction of second-degree burn wounds were achieved by placing the pre-heated cylindrical stainless steel rod to the back of each shaven mice for 10 seconds. The research subjects were then assigned randomly into three (3) groups and each containing six (6) mice. Group 1 served as the positive control group, Group 2 as the Base cream group, and Group 3 as the experimental group. Silver sulfadiazine was applied on the positive control group while Base cream was applied on the Base cream group, and five percent (5%) Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) topical cream was applied on the experimental group. All treatments were applied after randomization of the test subjects and every twenty-four (24) hours thereafter while measurement of wound contraction began twenty-four (24) hours after the induction of the burn and every forty-eight (48) hours thereafter until the seventeenth day where complete wound contraction was observed.

Five percent (5%) Bermuda grass topical cream showed a mean percent (%) wound contraction of 93.1406±4.5888 on the last day of treatment. While Silver sulfadiazine and Base cream showed a mean percent (%) wound contraction of only 78.7703±8.9780 and 89.3781±4.2378 respectively. One-way ANOVA revealed that there was a significant difference in the mean percent (%) wound contraction between the Bermuda grass topical cream and the Silver sulfadiazine. It also revealed that there was no significant difference in the mean percent (%) wound contraction between Silver sulfadiazine and Base cream.

In conclusion, the study supported the potential of Bermuda grass as a possible alternative for Silver sulfadiazine in the treatment of burn injuries. This was demonstrated by a higher mean (%) wound contraction effect of five percent (5%) Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) topical cream against the mean percent (%) wound contraction effect of Silver sulfadiazine. The study also discouraged the use of Silver sulfadiazine as a treatment for burn injuries as it caused a delay in wound contraction. The study recommended to the future researchers: to control the amount of treatment applied in each mouse; to make use of a better technique in handling each mouse in the induction of burn to have a more uniform burn injury; to make use of a uniform age of Bermuda grass with similar pigmentation; to include a histological study together with the macroscopic observation to observe the re-epithelialization capabilities of Bermuda grass; and finally, to quantitatively measure the constituent in Bermuda grass responsible for its wound contraction effect.