Effect of propolis, alcohol and dexamethasone on mast cells in surgical skin wounds

Background: The present study determines the anti-inflammatory effect of the topical application of ethanolic extract of commercial propolis, used in wound care, in the mast cell population in connective tissue during the initial healing process of surgical skin wounds. Method: Sixty Wistar rats were divided into three experimental groups: Group 1 (n = 20) – 30% ethanolic extract of propolis; Group 2 (n = 20) – 70% alcohol; and Group 3 (n = 20) dexamethasone. Each substance was applied topically every 12 hours. The specimens were submitted to histological analysis with Toluidine Blue stain. Mast cell counts were performed using the Axio Vision ® software program. Statistical analysis involved the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: Significantly smaller numbers of mast cells were found in the groups submitted to the propolis extract and 70% alcohol in comparison to dexamethasone (p Conclusion: The present findings demonstrate a possible anti-inflammatory property of propolis extract and 70% alcohol, which was more effective at reducing the mast cell population in surgical skin wounds at different postoperative times in comparison to the standard pharmacological treatment, dexamethasone.