Wound Healing Activity of Honey-Based Topical Preparation in Experimental Skin Wounds in Rabbits

Wound management is a common veterinary challenge, and the search for affordable topical preparations with proven efficacy is particularly relevant in Nigerian field conditions where conventional wound care products are expensive or unavailable in rural areas. Natural honey has demonstrated antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties in multiple experimental studies. This study evaluated the wound-healing activity of Nigerian forest honey compared to petroleum jelly and silver sulfadiazine cream in standardised full-thickness excisional wounds created in New Zealand White rabbits in Makurdi, Benue State, North Central Nigeria. Twenty-four rabbits were divided into four groups: untreated control, petroleum jelly, silver sulfadiazine, and honey-treated groups. Circular 2 cm diameter wounds were created on the dorsum under ketamine and xylazine anaesthesia. Wound areas were traced on acetate sheets on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 21, and tissue samples were collected at day 21 for histopathological analysis. Honey-treated wounds showed the highest percentage wound contraction of 94.2 percent by day 21, compared with 87.6 percent for silver sulfadiazine, 82.1 percent for petroleum jelly, and 75.4 percent in controls. Histopathology revealed better organised collagen deposition and less neutrophilic infiltration in honey-treated wounds. Bacterial culture showed fewer contaminants in honey-treated wounds. These findings support the use of honey as an accessible and effective wound treatment option in veterinary practice across North Central Nigeria. Keywords: wound healing, honey, rabbits, Benue State, excisional wound.