Author(s):
Dina Arwina Dalimunthe, Poppy Anjelisa Zaitun Hasibuan, Ramona Dumasari Lubis, Andre Marolop Pangihutan Siahaan, Satya Wydya Yenny, Nelva Karmila Jusuf, Muhammad Rusda, Zulham Yamamoto
Email(s):
dina.arwina@usu.ac.id
DOI:
10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00250 
Address:
Dina Arwina Dalimunthe1,2, Poppy Anjelisa Zaitun Hasibuan3, Ramona Dumasari Lubis1, Andre Marolop Pangihutan Siahaan4, Satya Wydya Yenny5, Nelva Karmila Jusuf1, Muhammad Rusda2,6, Zulham Yamamoto7
1Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia.
2Philosophy Doctor in Medicine Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia.
3Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia.
4Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia.
5Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, M. Djamil Hospital, Padang, Indonesia.
6Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia.
7Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia.
Published In:
Volume - 19,
Issue - 4,
Year - 2026
ABSTRACT:
Toba Frankincense (Styrax sumatranus) is a traditional herbal plant of Indonesia which has been used to cure various diseases since ancient times. Cinnamic acid is one of the chemical ingredients in the sap of frankincense. This compound has various biological activities including antibacterial, anesthetic, and anti-inflammatory properties. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of 0,4% Toba Frankincense ethanol extract hydrogel on burn wound healing. This study used white rabbits from the New Zealand strain that had been acclimated for seven days. The rabbit was generated with the second degree burn injury used iron metal with a 1.5 cm diameter that had been heated to 100°C and inserted it into rabbit’s back for 5 seconds. Each wound applied with 0,4% Toba Frankincense ethanol extract received a 14-day application of 0.4% Toba Frankincense hydrogel with dependent observations on the size of the burn wound. The burn wound surface analysis showed a significant decrease in the size area of the burn wound from day 3 to day 14 (p<0.001). The mean value of the burn wound size area on day three was 1.79 cm (range: 2.80–1.44 cm), which gradually decreased to 1.33 cm (range: 2.22–0.90 cm) on day five. After seven days, it measured 1.31 cm (range: 2.14–0.99 cm), and reached its smallest size on the fourteenth day with a mean value of 0.48 cm (range: 1.21–0.25 cm). The use of 0.4% Toba frankincense ethanol extract hydrogel on burn wounds shows reliable results and can be considered as an option for treating burns.
Cite this article:
Dina Arwina Dalimunthe, Poppy Anjelisa Zaitun Hasibuan, Ramona Dumasari Lubis, Andre Marolop Pangihutan Siahaan, Satya Wydya Yenny, Nelva Karmila Jusuf, Muhammad Rusda, Zulham Yamamoto. Preclinical Evaluation of Toba Frankincense Hydrogel for Burn Wound Healing: Insight from Rabbit Model. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2026;19(4):1743-0. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00250
Cite(Electronic):
Dina Arwina Dalimunthe, Poppy Anjelisa Zaitun Hasibuan, Ramona Dumasari Lubis, Andre Marolop Pangihutan Siahaan, Satya Wydya Yenny, Nelva Karmila Jusuf, Muhammad Rusda, Zulham Yamamoto. Preclinical Evaluation of Toba Frankincense Hydrogel for Burn Wound Healing: Insight from Rabbit Model. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2026;19(4):1743-0. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00250 Available on: https://rjptonline.org/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2026-19-4-39
REFERENCES:
1. Pham TN, Bettencourt AP, Bozinko GM, Chang PH, Chung KK, Craig CK, et al., editors. Advanced Burn Life Support course. Provider manual 2018 update. Chicago, IL: American Burn Association; 2018. Available from: https://ameriburn.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2018-abls-providermanual.pdf. Accessed 2025 March 30. [Google Scholar]
2. Yakupu A, Zhang J, Dong W, Song F, Dong J, Lu S. The epidemiological characteristic and trends of burns globally. BMC Public Health. 2022 Aug 22; 22(1): 1596. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13887-2.
3. Schulz A, Kanho C, Christian Fuchs P, Heitzmann W, Lynn Schiefer J. Evaluating the long-term aesthetic outcomes of a customized nanofibrous temporary epidermal matrix in facial burn treatment. Burns Open. 2024 Jul; 8(3): 245–52. doi: 10.1016/j.burnso.2024.06.004
4. Rowan MP, Cancio LC, Elster EA, Burmeister DM, Rose LF, Natesan S, Chan RK, Christy RJ, Chung KK. Burn wound healing and treatment: review and advancements. Crit Care. 2015 Jun 12; 19: 243. doi: 10.1186/s13054-015-0961-2.
5. Sumi Wijaya, Henry Kurnia Setiawan, Iwan Sahrial Hamid, Cheterina Tresdiany Kolnel. Burn Healing Activity of Siam Weed (Chromolaena odorata) leaf Ethanol Extract in Second Degree Burn Wound Induced in Rats. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2024; 17(7): 3218-4. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2024.00504
6. Saputra MH, Sagala SAH, Lee HS. Species Distribution of Styrax sumatrana in North Sumatra using Maxent Modelling Approach. Forum Geografi. 2020 Jan 16; 33(2): 196–208. doiI: 10.23917/forgeo.v33i2.9056
7. Nurwahyuni I, Nababan B, Pangoloi S, Situmorang M. Cinnamic acid in frankincense sap as a criterion for determining the best mother plant for vegetative propagation of styrax benzoin (Sumatra Benzoin) in Sumatra, Indonesia. International Journal of Forestry Research. 2022; 2022(1): 4160241. doi: 10.1155/2022/4160241
8. Elfiati D, Faulina SA, Rahayu LM, Aryanto A, Dewi RT, Rachmat HH, Turjaman M, Royyani MF, Susilowati A, Hidayat A. Culturable endophytic fungal assemblages from Styrax sumatrana and Stryax benzoin and their potential as antifungal, antioxidant, and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory resources. Front Microbiol. 2022 Nov 4; 13: 974526. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.974526.
9. Lin X, Zhang X, Wang Y, Chen W, Zhu Z, Wang S. Hydrogels and hydrogel-based drug delivery systems for promoting refractory wound healing: Applications and prospects. Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jan; 285: 138098. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.138098.
10. Anis A, Sharshar A, El Hanbally S, Shehata AA. Histopathological Evaluation of the Healing Process of Standardized Skin Burns in Rabbits: Assessment of a Natural Product with Honey and Essential Oils. J Clin Med. 2022 Oct 29; 11(21): 6417. doi: 10.3390/jcm11216417.
11. Moglad EH, Hamad AM, Fatima F, Devanathadesikan Seshadri V, Naz M. Antimicrobial and wound healing activities of certain Sudanese medicinal plants. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2020 Jul; 27(7): 1766-1772. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.05.017.4
12. Majeed AA, Abood DA. Histological assessment of the efficiency of rabbit serum in healing skin wounds. Vet World. 2019 Oct; 12(10): 1650-1656. doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2019.1650-1656.
13. Deepthi Sandhala, Srinivas Lankalapalli. Development of New Analytical method for the Estimation of Raltegravir in Rabbit plasma. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2022; 15(4): 1800-4. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2022.00302
14. Ruaya Khalid Alhashimi, Zainab Jaber Almujaini, Shahad Ahmed Elbasri, Md Jawaid Akhtar, Mohammad Abobakr Al-Ghazali. In vitro antimicrobial activity of Frankincense combined with Turmeric extract. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2025; 18(2): 725-0. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2025.00107
15. Moglad EH, Hamad AM, Fatima F, Devanathadesikan Seshadri V, Naz M. Antimicrobial and wound healing activities of certain Sudanese medicinal plants. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2020 Jul; 27(7): 1766-1772. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.05.017.
16. Mukherjee P, Roy S, Ghosh D, Nandi SK. Role of animal models in biomedical research: a review. Lab Anim Res. 2022 Jul 1; 38(1): 18. doi: 10.1186/s42826-022-00128-1
17. Fahad Khalid Aldhafiri, Balakrishnan Santhanaraj, Gokulan Selvam, Khader Syed Zameer Ahamed, Ramasamy Subbaiya, Suriya Kumaresan, Ponnusamy Ponmurugan. Hepatoprotective Studies of Methanolic Leaf Extract of Barringtonia acutangula (L) against Carbon Tetrachloride Induced Liver Injury in Wistar Rats. Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 2017; 10(1): 101-107. doi: 10.5958/0974-360X.2017.00024.5
18. C. Hari Kumar, A. Ramesh, G. Krishna Mohan. Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Effects of Mucuna Pruriens Against Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Albino Wister Rats. Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 2014; 7(1): 70-73.
19. Rekha D. Kini, Tripathi Y., C.V. Raghuveer, Sheila R. Pai. Effect of Vitamin E Pre-Treatment on Histopathological Changes on Rat Testis Following Cadmium Chloride Administration. Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 2013; 6(8): 874-877.
20. Khan BA, Karim F, Khan MK, Haider F, Khan S. Synthesis and characterization of polymeric responsive CMC/Pectin hydrogel films loaded with Tamarix aphylla extract as potential wound dressings. Biocell. 2021; 45(5): 1273. doi: 10.32604/biocell.2021.015323
21. Karayannopoulou M, Tsioli V, Loukopoulos P, Anagnostou TL, Giannakas N, Savvas I, Papazoglou LG, Kaldrymidou E. Evaluation of the effectiveness of an ointment based on Alkannins/Shikonins on second intention wound healing in the dog. Can J Vet Res. 2011 Jan; 75(1): 42-8. PMID: 21461194; PMCID: PMC3003561.
22. Ridhanya, Rajakumari. K. Skin Wound Healing: An update on the Current knowledge and Concepts. Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 2019; 12(3): 1448-1452. doi: 10.5958/0974-360X.2019.00240.3
23. Hamidpour R, Hamidpour S, Hamidpour M, Shahlari M. Frankincense ( rǔ xiāng; boswellia species): from the selection of traditional applications to the novel phytotherapy for the prevention and treatment of serious diseases. J Tradit Complement Med. 2013 Oct; 3(4): 221-6. doi: 10.4103/2225-4110.119723.
24. Al-Yasiry AR, Kiczorowska B. Frankincense--therapeutic properties. Postepy Hig Med Dosw (Online). 2016 Jan 4; 70: 380-91. doi: 10.5604/17322693.1200553.
25. Ammon HP. Boswellic Acids and Their Role in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016; 928: 291-327. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-41334-1_13.
26. Siddiqui MZ. Boswellia serrata, a potential antiinflammatory agent: an overview. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2011 May; 73(3): 255-61. doi: 10.4103/0250-474X.93507.
27. Eming SA, Martin P, Tomic-Canic M. Wound repair and regeneration: mechanisms, signaling, and translation. Sci Transl Med. 2014 Dec 3; 6(265): 265sr6. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3009337.
28. Wynn TA, Vannella KM. Macrophages in Tissue Repair, Regeneration, and Fibrosis. Immunity. 2016 Mar 15; 44(3): 450-462. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.02.015.
29. Roy NK, Parama D, Banik K, Bordoloi D, Devi AK, Thakur KK, Padmavathi G, Shakibaei M, Fan L, Sethi G, Kunnumakkara AB. An Update on Pharmacological Potential of Boswellic Acids against Chronic Diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Aug 22; 20(17): 4101. doi: 10.3390/ijms20174101.
30. Dong F, Zheng L, Zhang X. Alpha-boswellic acid accelerates acute wound healing via NF-κB signaling pathway. PLoS One. 2024 Sep 3; 19(9): e0308028. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308028.
31. Markiewicz-Gospodarek A, Kozioł M, Tobiasz M, Baj J, Radzikowska-Büchner E, Przekora A. Burn Wound Healing: Clinical Complications, Medical Care, Treatment, and Dressing Types: The Current State of Knowledge for Clinical Practice. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 25; 19(3): 1338. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031338.
32. Ruaya Khalid Alhashimi, Zainab Jaber Almujaini, Shahad Ahmed Elbasri, Md Jawaid Akhtar, Mohammad Abobakr Al-Ghazali. In vitro antimicrobial activity of Frankincense combined with Turmeric extract. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2025; 18(2): 725-0. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2025.00107
33. Aniket S. Gudur, Srushti S. Gode, Mukul S. Malpure, Neha S. Ghosalkar. A Comprehensive Review on Transdermal Systems for Enhanced Wound Healing. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2025; 15(1): 87-3. doi: 10.52711/2231-5691.2025.00015
34. S.K. Purohit, R. Solanki, V. Mathur, M. Mathur. Evaluation of Wound Healing Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Curcuma longa Rhizomes in Male Albino Rats. Asian J. Pharm. Res. 2013; 3(2): 79-81.
35. Poonam Sheoran, Sulakshana Chand, Sukhwinder Kaur. Comparison of Infra Red Light Therapy vs. Sitz Bath on episiotomy in terms of wound healing among postnatal mothers. Asian J. Nur. Edu. & Research. 2014; 4(1): 70-75.