The effects of cream-based Triticum vulgare with and without therapeutic ultrasound on excisional wound healing in diabetic rats

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of Triticum vulgare (TVE) alone or combined with therapeutic ultrasound (TUS) on wound healing in a diabetic rat model. Materials and Methods: A total of 72 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: Group Control, wounded rats without treatment; Group TUS, wounded rats with TUS application; Group TVE, wounded rats treated with TVE; and Group TVE + TUS, wounded rats treated with TVE + TUS. Wound healing was assessed using wound area calculation and thermographic, biochemical, histopathologic, immunohistochemical, and immunofluorescence analyses on post-wounding days 7, 14, and 21. Results: On day 21, the wound surface area was significantly decreased in Group TVE + TUS (0.18 ± 0.07 cm2) compared to the other groups (p < 0.001). A significant increase in wound area temperature was recorded on days 7, 14, and 21 in all groups compared to day 0 (p < 0.001). On day 21, Group TVE + TUS (35.4 ± 0.2 °C) had the most significantly highest wound area temperature compared to the other groups (p < 0.001). The highest histopathological scores were recorded in Group TVE + TUS on days 7, 14, and 21 (p = 0.04). The highest vascular endothelial growth factor expression was observed in Group TVE + TUS (82.53 ± 1.98) on day 7 (p = 0.03). Conclusion: In conclusion, treatment with a combination of TVE and TUS effectively enhanced wound healing in diabetic rats compared with other treatment groups.