Blood Vessel, VEGF, and FGF Expression in Traumatic Ulcer Healing of Wister Rats after Application of Chitosan- Aloe vera Gel

Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze the application of chitosan (CH)- Aloe vera (AV) gel on blood vessels, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) expression in traumatic ulcer healing. Materials and Methods Chitosan powder with deacetylation degree of 93% dissolved in 2% acetic acid, neutralized with NaOH solution, and combined with AV gel. Traumatic ulcers were made with a 4-mm diameter along the lower labial mucosa of Wistar rats using a heated burnisher. Negative control group (KA) was treated with placebo, positive control group (KB) using 0.2% hyaluronic acid, treatment group using chitosan (CH) gel (PA) and AV gel (PB), and group using combination CH-AV gel (PC). The blood vessel numbers were analyzed with hematoxylin eosin staining and the expression of VEGF and FGF were analyzed using immunohistochemistry on days 3 and 7. Statistical Analysis One-way analysis of variance was conducted to analyze the difference between groups and the Tukey honestly significant difference multiple comparisons test was used to analyze different pairs of groups (p < 0.05). Results Blood vessels, VEGF, and FGF expression were higher in the treatment group using combination CH-AV gel on days 3 and 7 compared with the control group and treatment group using CH or AV gel (p < 0.05). Conclusion The application of CH-AV gel increased the number of blood vessels, VEGF, and FGF expression in traumatic ulcer healing of Wistar rats.