Wound healing potential of Sarcophaga aegyptiaca larval excretion/secretion: in vivo assessment of inflammatory biomarkers and in silico molecular docking study.

The quality of life is significantly impacted by cutaneous ulcers, which frequently develop into chronic conditions. As the need for managing chronic wounds grows, interest in larval therapy (LT), an intervention that uses live fly larvae and/or their secretion to eliminate necrotic tissue and encourage healing, has increased. The present study aimed to investigate the wound healing potential of Sarcophaga aegyptiaca larval excretion/secretion (ES) with particular emphasis on its antioxidant activity, tissue regenerative capacity, and bioactive compound composition. Using a mice full-thickness excisional wound model, we evaluated the effects of the topical application of the larval extract on wound closure dynamics, oxidative stress biomarkers, and histological outcomes over a 15-day treatment period. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the larval ES identified a diverse array of bioactive molecules, dominated by myristic acid vinyl ester, unsaturated fatty acid esters, terpenoid alcohols, and spirocyclic diketones-compounds recognized for their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and tissue-reparative properties. Macroscopic assessments revealed markedly enhanced wound contraction in the treated group compared to negative controls. The larva-treated group demonstrated substantial healing early on and achieved an impressive 98.14% wound closure by day 15. Biochemical analysis indicated a pronounced early increase in Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) following treatment, implicating oxidative stress modulation as a key mechanism. Although changes in other oxidative stress biomarkers such as nitric oxide (NO) were less prominent at later stages, the early antioxidant response appeared to correlate with enhanced healing outcomes, while malondialdehyde (MDA) of the larvae ES-treated group showed a significant decrease in its level after 7 days of treatment. In addition, the proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β were markedly decreased in the larvae ES-treated group as compared to negative controls. Histological evaluations supported these findings, showing reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, increased collagen deposition, and advanced re-epithelialization in the larvae-treated group. The molecular docking interaction demonstrated high efficiency for acid vinyl ester against the TNF-α and IL-1β cytokines revealing a potential efficacy of this compound on the proinflammatory cytokines. These results demonstrated that S. aegyptiaca larval ES exerts a multifaceted therapeutic effect on wound healing through bioactive compound-mediated tissue regeneration and early oxidative stress modulation.