Running head: ALOE VERA 1

Aloe Vera as an alternative treatment for wound healing

Jefferson Llano
Yachay Tech University
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Aloe Vera as an alternative treatment for wound healing

World Health Organization states that open injuries have a potential for serious
bacterial wound infection. Therefore, it is necessary to implement therapeutic
treatments that are capable of accelerating the wound healing (WH) to reduce the risk
of wound infection. However, the most current manufactured drugs have a limited
ability of promoting wound healing. Consequently, it is important to investigate
possible alternatives to current wound healing drugs. Then, medicinal plants are
introduced as an important therapy. There are some medicinal plants that present
pro-wound healing effect. One of the most common plant used in folk medicine is Aloe
Vera. Medicinal plants like Aloe Vera present wound healing properties and can be used
as treatment for burns or similar skin wounds; this plant presents anticancer,
antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, the utilization of an Aloe Vera
compound for wound healing could be considered as a good WH treatment and have an
increased efficiency if compared to current manufactured drugs.

Wounds are physical injuries that result in the opening or rupture of skin, which
can cause anatomical and functional disorders(Lordani & Lonardoni, 2018). The
occurrence of a skin injury presents the risk of appearance of bacterial infection. As
prevention of bacterial infection, a healing treatment should be applied in the wound.
For the healing process, it is necessary to trigger cell proliferation to repair and
regenerate the injured tissue. According to Lordani and Lonardoni (2018) from the
drugs that are able to stimulate the healing process, only 1-3% of drugs listed in
Western pharmacopeias are intended for use on the skin or cutaneous wound. However,
a significant proportion of the world’s population cannot afford these modern medicines,
and the use of herbal remedies can benefit these patient groups (Lordani & Lonardoni,
2018). Medicinal plants are important alternatives for the healing of lesions. Their use
has been validated in clinical trials and its beneficial properties have been evaluated
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(Lordani et al., 2018). Aloe vera is probably the most applied medicinal plant
worldwide (Sanchez-Machado & Sanches-Silva, 2017).

Several therapeutic indications are attributed to aloe, as healing properties and

beneficial effects on skin inflammation. Several in vivo and in vitro experiments
evidenced the anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and antibacterial activity
(Sanchez-Machado & Sanches-Silva, 2017).These studies focused on the effect of
medicinal plants on WH of burns as they investigated effect of Aloe vera gel(Budovsky
& Ben-Shabat, 2015).A. vera gel contains more than 75 bioactive compounds, such as
acemannan which stimulates Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and collagen
synthesis; VEGF has a vital role in the development of renewed tissue. The topical
application of A.vera provides more oxygen, increases vascularity, and increases collagen
production (Lordani & Lonardoni, 2018). The mucilage (heterogeneous branched
polysaccharide) of A. vera not only increases collagen on wound site, but also increases
transversal connections(Hashemi & Abediankenari, 2015). Another important property
to highlight of A. vera is its antibacterial activity. Many In vitro studies have shown
that Aloe vera displayed antimicrobial activity on Gram-negative and Gram-positive
isolates (Sanchez-Machado & Sanches-Silva, 2017). Future applications of Aloe vera in
the pharmaceutical industry are expected, as the mechanism of action, effective doses
and side effects are deeper studied to be able to develop newer pharmaceutical
formulations based in aloe vera(Sanchez-Machado & Sanches-Silva, 2017).

To determine the plausibility of Aloe vera formulations is necessary to gather

information on the toxicological effects, including the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity,
carcinogenicity, and adverse clinical effects of Aloe vera.Guo and Mei (2016) in their
review, stated that depending on the type of Aloe formulation there is a variance on the
toxicological effects. According to Guo and Mei (2016), the Aloe gel is primarily used
topically for wounds and skin problems, as well as taken orally for the treatment of
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gastrointestinal ulcers and diabetes. The toxic effects of Aloe vera gel have been
reported only in a few studies. However, there is a large diversity in the results obtained
influenced by a variety of factors seasons, location, irrigation, lack of standardization
(Guo & Mei, 2016). As results of the reported studies related to the toxicity of Aloe
vera there have not been severe adverse effects or carcinogenicity reported from using
Aloe vera gel. Nevertheless, the administration of natural products and their dosage
represents a concern related to its possible toxicity. This could become a major problem
provided that the patient is not qualified to determine an adequate dosage of the herbal
product. Despite herbal plants are expected to be safe, effective and high-quality; is
important to consider their toxicological effects. The utilization of Aloe vera plant has
increased. Therefore, in-depth studies are needed to investigate the adverse effects,
conventional drug interactions, and the possible toxic and carcinogenic effects of Aloe
preparations, especially after long-term use of these products (Guo & Mei, 2016).

The utilization of an Aloe Vera compound for wound healing could be considered
as a good WH treatment and have an increased efficiency if compared to current
manufactured drugs. Aloe Vera presents anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory
properties; its main compound is glucomannan, which has an effect on the fibroblast
growth factor and stimulation of collagen production and secretion. As a result of this
effect, Aloe contributes significatively to the reduction of healing time related to skin
tissue injuries. Aloe Vera is found in different formulations (whole leaf extract, gel, and
latex); the most common preparation used in wound treatment is gel. Nevertheless, the
dosage and adequate formulation could change according to the type, morphology and
location of the wound. Future research should focus on developing a more effective
method of delivery and release of the Aloe formulation. It is advised to try novel
applications as nanoparticles or hydrogels to have a more specific release and enhanced
effect on the wound site.
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References

Budovsky, Y. L., A., & Ben-Shabat, S. (2015). Effect of medicinal plants on wound
healing. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 23 , 171-183.
Guo, X., & Mei, N. (2016). Aloe vera: A review of toxicity and adverse clinical effects.
Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part C , 34 , 77-96.
Hashemi, M. S., S. A., & Abediankenari, S. (2015). The review on properties of aloe
vera in healing of cutaneous wounds. BioMed Research International, 2015 , 1-6.
Lordani,
D. L. C. E. F. F. B. P. d. S. T. M. M. M. D. S. C. F. L. C. R. G. B. F. V. T. J. J.,
T. V. A., & Lonardoni, M. V. C. (2018). Therapeutic effects of medicinal plants
on cutaneous wound healing in humans: A systematic review. Mediators of
Inflammation, 2018 , 1-12.
Sanchez-Machado, L.-C. J. S. R., D. I., & Sanches-Silva, A. (2017). Aloe vera : Ancient
knowledge with new frontiers. Trends in Food Science Technology, 61 , 94-102.