Efficacy of Rhizophora mangle aqueous bark extract in the healing of open surgical wounds.

Thirty-seven patients with open wounds from surgical intervention of pilonidal cyst (14; 37.8%) or pilonidal fistula (23; 62.2%) were enrolled on a voluntary basis in a comparative blinded clinical trial and randomly assigned to a topical treatment with a Rhizophora mangle aqueous bark extract once a day or twice a day or mercurocrome twice a day. The efficacy of the treatments was evaluated weekly from day 10 to 12 until 6 weeks after surgery by measuring the area of the wounds by image digital planimetry and the tolerability by recording adverse effects. The initial size of the wounds was taken in consideration as covariable in the Generalized Lineal Model used. A thin dark red colored film covering the wound was observed in all the cases treated with the extract. The wound areas of the groups treated with the extract once or twice per day showed a greater reduction (P < 0.05) compared to the group treated with mercurocrome. No differences between the two regimes of application of the extract of R. mangle were observed. No subject showed any sign of adverse effects and no secondary infections were observed.