Topical Treatment of Nonhealing Venous Leg Ulcer with Propolis Ointment

Abstract

An investigation of effectiveness of topical treatment of nonhealing chronic venous leg ulcers with propolis ointment was conducted. 56 patients were included in the study and randomized into two groups. In group 1, there were 28 patients (ulceration area: 6.9–9.78 cm2) treated by means of topical propolis ointment application and short stretch bandage compression. In group 2, there were 29 patients (ulceration area: 7.2–9.4 cm2) treated by means of Unna boot leg compression without topical propolis treatment. In the study, the efficacy of both treatment methods in patients with resistive venous leg ulcers was compared. The ulceration of patients from group 1 healed completely after 6 weeks of therapy in all cases. In all patients from group 2, the process of healing was longer but successfully completed after 16 weeks of the therapy. We found that an adjunctive propolis ointment treatment increases the efficacy of the short stretch bandage compression stocking, and this combined treatment is more effective than Unna's boot compression alone.

Propolis

“…2 In the 17th century, Stradivarius used varnish containing propolis on his violins. In dermatology, it has been used, for example, for burns, 26 leg ulcers, 27 psoriasis, 28 atopic dermatitis, recurrent aphthous ulcers, 29 warts, 30 herpes labialis, herpes genitalis, 31 and for wound healing and tissue regeneration. 18 The balsam possesses antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties and may have a wide range of other beneficial biological activities: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiulcerogenic, local anesthetic, hepatoprotective, antitumor (cytotoxic), 19,20 immune-stimulating/ modulatory, 19,21 cariostatic, spasmolytic, and many other biological properties.…”

Influence of Temperature on Free Radical Generation in Propolis‐Containing Ointments

“…Propolis ointment management was also reported to stimulate the efficacy of the short stretch bandage compression stocking and the combined venous ulcer treatment which was more effective than Unna's boot compression alone [ 14 ]. Pessolato et al reported in their studies that burn treatment with propolis stimulated the process of tissue regeneration and led to inhibition of local inflammation, which indicates that treatment with the mentioned apitherapeutic was successful in the initiation of the burn healing, and accelerated the biosynthesis of collagen fibres (estimated by morphometry) in all the evaluated periods [ 25 ].…”

“…The applied propolis ointments at concentrations of 5% and 7% were chosen on the basis of the literature knowledge and experimental studies investigating the anti-inflammatory effect of the topical formulation containing propolis at abovementioned concentrations [ 14 , 15 ]. On the other hand, 5% and 7% propolis ointments are commonly used as topically applied propolis extracts that belong to the natural product available on the polish pharmaceutical market, being also listed in the Journal of Medicinal Products List admitted to trade on Polish territory.…”

Traditional Therapies for Skin Wound Healing

“…Clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the therapeutic activities of propolis for different skin lesions. 10, 117,118 Gregory et al 10 conducted a clinical study to compare the healing effect of propolis cream and SSD in superficial second-degree burns. Despite the limitations of the study, in particular, the low number of patients, the time between treatments, and the absence of data about bacterial colonization, results show a beneficial effect of propolis, leading to a reduced inflammation and an improved healing process.…”

“…All ulcers treated with propolis were completely healed after 6 weeks of treatment, while in the control group (treated with compression dressings) the healing time was significantly higher (16 weeks). 117 Evidence suggests a significant increase in the use of propolis in wound care, mainly due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and healing activities. However, in order to improve the clinical use of propolis, it is necessary to develop novel manufacturing strategies and quality control methods, ensuring an extensive characterization of its chemical constituents and pharmacological properties.…”