Green coffee bean hydroalcoholic extract accelerates wound healing in full-thickness wounds in rabbits

Background:Green coffee beans contain biochemical compounds including caffeine,chlorogenic acid,trigonelline,and diterpenoid alcohols.In traditional Iranian medicine,coffee bean powder is used for the treatment of wounds.Previous studies have shown that green coffee bean extract has a number of health benefits,including induction of weight loss,reduced blood pressure,and hepatoprotective and anti-Parkinson effects.The aim of this study was to investigate the wound-healing activity of green coffee bean extract on a full-thickness wound model.Methods:Full-thickness wounds of 20×20 mm were created on the back of New Zealand white rabbits.The animals were divided into 6 groups.Three concentrations of green coffee bean extract(5%,10%,and 15%w/w)in a eucerin base were applied over the wounds in 3 test groups.One percent phenytoin cream was used in one group as a positive control.The rabbits of negative control and vehicle groups received no treatment and eucerin,respectively.For the evaluation of green coffee bean extract’s wound-healing effects,measures included:(1)wound-closure rate,by daily measuring of the wound surface area and calculating the reduction in area;(2)period of epithelialization,the number of days until the scab dropped from the wound;(3)hydroxyproline content,measured by a hydroxyproline assay kit;(4)lipid peroxidation,measured by a lipid peroxidation assay kit;and(5)histopathological state(hematoxylin-eosin stain)of wound-tissue samples on days 7 and 14 post-wounding.Results:The results of this study showed significantly enhanced wound-closure rate,shorter period of epithelialization(P<0.01),increased hydroxyproline content(P<0.001)and suppressed lipid peroxidation(P<0.001 on day 14)of wounds on animals treated with the 10%green coffee bean extract compared to the negative control and eucerin-treated groups.Moreover,the therapeutic effects of 10%green coffee bean were significantly superior than those of phenytoin on enhancing wound-closure rate,decreasing period of epithelialization(P<0.05),increasing hydroxyproline content(P<0.001 on day 7 and P<0.0001 on day 14)and suppressing lipid peroxidation(P<0.0001 on day 14).In addition,histopathological study supported the wound healing activity of green coffee bean extract.Conclusion:Our results showed that green coffee bean extract has a potential for promoting wound healing,thus supporting its traditional use for this purpose.

Protective efficacy of dark chocolate in letrozole-induced ovary toxicity model rats: hormonal, biochemical, and histopathological investigation

OBJECTIVE: To assess the protective effect of dark chocolate(DC) on the letrozole-induced rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS). METHODS: In this experimental study, 32 female Wistar rats, weighing(200 ± 20) g, were randomly categorized into 4 groups including control, letrozole(1 mg·kg-1·d-1), metformin(500 mg·kg-1·d-1) along with letrozole, and DC(500 mg·kg-1·d-1) along with letrozole for 28 d by oral gavage. Twenty-four hours after the last supplementation, direct blood sampling was taken from the heart to obtain blood serum for evaluation of sex hormones and gonadotropins, oxidative parameters, inflammatory cytokines, and ovarian tissue was examined for histology. RESULTS: The DC treatment significantly improved PCOS signs, as demonstrated by the significant restoration of ovarian morphology and physiological functions as compared with the letrozole group. DC treatment also decreased ovarian interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α levels and improved total oxidative/antioxidative status as compared with the letrozole group. CONCLUSIONS: Treating the animals with DC could alleviate the PCOS symptoms and reduced the toxic effects of letrozole in the ovary. This effect may mediate through antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties.