Research Article
Histological Evaluation of the Effect of Local Application of Punica
granatum Seed Oil on Bone Healing
Ibrahim Fouad Mohamed,
1
Ban A. Ghani,
1
and Abdalbseet A. Fatalla
2
1
Department of Oral Diagnosis, College of Dentistry University of Baghdad, Baghdad, P. O. Box 1417, Iraq
2
Department of Prosthodontics, College of Dentistry University of Baghdad, Baghdad, P. O. Box 1417, Iraq
Correspondence should be addressed to Abdalbseet A. Fatalla; abdalbasit@codental.uobaghdad.edu.iq
Received 6 June 2022; Revised 19 August 2022; Accepted 6 September 2022; Published 24 September 2022
Academic Editor: Wen-Cheng Chen
Copyright © 2022 Ibrahim Fouad Mohamed et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
Background. Bone healing is a complex and dynamic process that represents a well-orchestrated series of biological events of
cellular recruitment, proliferation, and differentiation. e use of medicinal plants in bone healing has attracted increasing interest
because of their lower side effects. Punica granatum seed oil (PSO) contains high levels of phenolic compounds, promotes
osteoblast function, and plays an important role in bone remodeling. A gelatin sponge (Spongostan) is a hemostatic agent that is
extensively applied as scaffolds in engineering and as drug carriers in the medical field. is study aimed to evaluate the ef-
fectiveness of PSO for bone healing enhancement. Twenty adult male New Zealand rabbits, weighing an average of 1.5–2 kg, were
used in this study. ree intrabony holes were created in the tibiae of each animal, which were filled with a gelatin sponge (GS
group) and combined gelatin sponge and PSO (GS/PSO group). Holes without material application were designated as the control
group (C group). e animals were sacrificed at the healing duration (2–4 weeks) to prepare bone specimens for histological and
histomorphometric analyses. Results. Histological findings indicated that the bone defects in the GS/PSO group showed more
bone formation, mineralization, and maturation compared with the C and GS groups. Multiple group differences for bone cells
showed a highly significant difference among all groups in the 2- and 4-week healing periods except for the C/GS and GS/GS/PSO
groups at 4-weeks duration. Furthermore, highly significant results were obtained between both durations regarding the tra-
becular area, trabecular number, and bone marrow area. Conclusion. e study revealed that the combined application of GS and
PSO was more effective in enhancing bone regeneration and accelerating bone healing compared with the other groups.
1. Introduction
e bone is a tissue organized into two main compartments,
namely, trabecular bone (i.e., cancellous or spongy) and
cortical bone (i.e., dense or compact) [1, 2]. Structurally, the
bone is a nanocomposite compound composed of organic
collagen nanofibers and inorganic compounds, such as
hydroxyapatite and whitlockite [3].
rough the interactions of osteocytes (OC), osteoblasts
(OB), and osteoclasts (OCL), bone tissue is characterized by
a continually dynamic process of synthesis and breakdown
of new bone and old tissue, respectively. As a result, when
minor defects occur, bone tissue has an extraordinary ability
for self-remodeling and self-healing [4, 5]. Researchers have
focused on developing innovative therapeutic compounds
that might promote bone repair and comprehending the
inflammatory processes that regulate this process [6]. Be-
sides their low costs and negligible side effects, the ability of
natural bio-compounds to inhibit bone resorption and tissue
inflammation while also increasing antioxidant defenses,
tissue vascularization, and bone cell proliferation suggests
that they may be a viable alternative for bone healing and
regeneration [7].
Pomegranate (Punica granatum), a fruit native to the
Middle East and India, has long been recognized as a rich
source of flavonoids, vitamins, tannins, and immune-
boosting antioxidants and has been empirically used for
medicinal purposes [8].
Hindawi
International Journal of Biomaterials
Volume 2022, Article ID 4266589, 8 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4266589