Copaifera langsdorffii is a Brazilian native leguminosae that produce resin-oil, popularly known as copaíba oil. This oil is used for the treatment of skin wound due to its recognized antiinflammatory and wound healing effects. Despite, its popular use, there are few published data about the therapeutic effect of this medicinal plant. The aim of the study was to evaluate the topic treatment effect of the Copaíba oil on the process of skin repair inflammation induced by a foreign body subcutanously implanted. Sixty BALB/c mice were submitted to a 1cm linear incision and a 12mm circle coverslip was subcutaneously implanted. Four treatments groups were established: control, sterile saline (C); vehicle control, sterile mineral oil, (VC); treatment 1 (T1), mineral oil plus copaiba oil (V/V), and treatment 2 (T2) copaiba oil. The evaluations were performed at pre-determined time points (1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days). It was possible to find fibroblasts, epithelial cells proliferation, re-epithelization and newly formed blood vessels in all groups, however, all oil treated groups (T1 and T2) did not present re-epithelization at three days post surgical incision. On days 5 and 7, a higher intensity of edema and hyperemia on the groups T1 and T2 was observed, besides that, the T1 and T2 groups presented a serous cellular scab on the wounds that was absent on the C and VC groups. The inflammatory reactions among the groups C and VC showed more mononuclear cells than the T1 and T2 groups that presented a mixed cell patter composed from both mono and polymorphonuclear cells. Although the surgical wounds were re-epithelizaded, in the groups T1 and T2, they were covered by a serous cellular crust and the dermis tissue still presented an intense mononuclear cell inflammatory focus. Fourteen days after of the surgical incision, the gross aspects on groups C and VC were similar and on groups T1 and T2, despite wound to be completely closed and without crusts, the skin those animals was thickened. Furthermore, the dermis on group T2 presented moderate fibrosis, while the other groups presented slightly ones. The results demonstrated that topical treatment with C. langsdorffii oil debilitated the normal process of a wound repair in the presence of a foreign body.
Copaifera langsdorffii; copaíba; wound healing; anti-inflammatory
