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Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics

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Open Access Full Text Article   Review Article

Egg Yolk Oil: A Natural Remedy for Burn Wound Healing

Safiya Abdul Inamdar ¹, Sabaanjum Faijahamad Jamadar ², Saniya Rafik Tamboli ³, Pratiksha Rajkumar Ravankole ⁴

^1,2,3 Research Scholar, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

⁴ Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Pune, Maharashtra, India, 412216.

 

 

Introduction: 

Burns are the most severe soft tissue injuries, sometimes leading to deep, widespread wounds and even death. Due to extensive scarring and skin contractures, burns can cause significant mental and emotional anguish ¹. Preventing infection is the main goal of burn treatment, followed by encouraging the growth of epithelial cells. Consequently, it is preferable to use materials that roughly mimic the intact stratum corneum's water vapor transmission rate. Materials must also be biocompatible, meaning they must be nontoxic, noninflammatory, nonimmunogenic, and free of microbial residues².                                       

Burn injuries vary greatly in inflexibility and the preceding problems, depending on the towel that's injured. Deep injury to jitters can induce pain when muscles, bones, vasculature, dermal, and epidermal tissue are damaged¹.

According to a study, using egg oil topically to burnt skin resulted in significant re-epithelialization without tissue scarring, suggesting that the oil is great in the healing process³.

Immunosuppression from burns affects both innate and adaptive immunity, raising the risk of infection. Adaptive immunity, which involves T and B cells, takes days to react to microorganisms, but innate immunity reacts rapidly. Innate elements such as neutrophils, macrophages, monocytes, basophils, NK cells, and the complement system are altered by burn injuries ^4,5.

Egg yolk oil is a good source of choline, linoleic and oleic acid, lecithin, and vitamins A, D, and E. Supplementing with choline has been proven to improve cognitive performance, especially verbal memory, in adults who have memory loss. Furthermore, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities of egg yolk oil promote general health and wellness. It is anticipated that the need for egg yolk oil in nutraceuticals would rise as the elderly population looks for natural solutions for cognitive support and general wellness ⁶.

Bioactive substances and natural remedies have drawn interest as supplemental or alternative wound-healing therapies. Among them, preclinical research has demonstrated the potential anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and wound-healing effects of egg yolk oil (EYO), a lipid-rich material that is derived from chicken egg yolks ⁷.

Egg yolk oil: 

The nutritional value of the lipids in egg yolks is extremely high. Egg yolk oil is a very useful addition to human diet because of its high oil soluble vitamin content, fatty acid profile, and lecithin concentration ⁸. The essence of the bioactive substances found in eggs is egg yolk oil (EYO). It can be extracted from egg yolks and added to a variety of food products to increase their biological and nutritional value ⁹. Carotenoids, primarily carotene, lutein, and xanthophylls, are pigments found in the lipids of the egg yolk that give it its colour¹⁰.

Ongoing studies on egg yolk oil demonstrate its great pledge for treating burn injuries by promoting crack mending through re-epithelialization. Research has shown that topical use of egg oil to becks outperforms conventional curatives in producing expansive re-epithelialization without scarring⁷. Egg oil effectiveness in mending becks and other skin lesions has been supported by fresh exploration on its goods on cell migration, proliferation, and oxidative stress reduction. likewise, egg oil has been used in products to reduce gum inflammation, repair ulcers, and treat scars, pressing its numerous remedial uses¹¹.

Figure1: Egg yolk oil

 Both burn wound healing and ulcer healing with minimal scar formation are enhanced by ointment containing egg oil ¹². According to studies employing hen egg oils, egg oil has significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory qualities. This is probably because the phospholipid fraction contains palmitoylethanolamide and choline, which decreased inflammatory indicators¹³. 

As a biological product, egg oil is a blend of several fatty acids and retinoids rather than a single material. For a naturopathic medication with a complex composition that is meant to work solely in conjunction with its ingredients, a strict scientific explanation of the mechanism of action might not be feasible ¹².

 

Method of extraction of egg yolk oil: 

Oil is extracted using conventional techniques including baking and dry distillation, which entail heating egg yolk powder. These techniques may lead to reduced yields and possible degradation of heat-sensitive compounds, despite being simple and solvent-free ¹⁴.

‘’When made using conventional techniques, egg yolk oil has a number of drawbacks, including a black hue, an unpleasant smell, ease of removal by patients, clothing discoloration, and instability. As a result, techniques for obtaining egg yolk oil need to be improved’’.

Because of its safety and efficacy, ethanol is utilized extensively. Research indicates that the use of 75% aqueous ethanol maximizes the extraction of phospholipids from dried egg yolk flakes while striking a balance between yield and purity. High-quality EYO with notable pharmacological action can be produced using this ecologically friendly process ¹⁵.

Because of its effectiveness and affordability, this approach is anticipated to grow. Petroleum ether extraction provides a high output of egg yolk oil without the significant expenses associated with the more costly ethanol extraction process. Furthermore, this process yields oil with favorable qualities such a light, transparent hue and little smell, which makes it appropriate for a range of uses in nutraceuticals and cosmetics. The petroleum ether extraction process offers a more economical and effective substitute as the demand for egg yolk oil keeps growing ⁶.

The "green" process of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with CO₂ yields high-purity EYO with no leftover solvents. By varying the temperature and pressure, this technique enables the selective separation of lipid components and is especially useful for extracting neutral and phospholipids ¹⁰.

5. Solvent Extraction with Chloroform-Methanol: 

The standard technique for extracting lipids is to use a combination of methanol and chloroform. Although it efficiently extracts total lipids, it uses hazardous solvents, which makes it less appealing for applications that call for pharmaceutical or food-grade EYO¹⁶.

Advantages of egg yolk oil:

1. As egg yolk oil contains a lot of cholesterol and polyunsaturated fatty acids, it speeds up wound healing and encourages skin tissue regeneration ⁷. 
2. Rich lipids and potent antioxidants that fight oxidative damage make egg oil valuable for skin and sun protection³.
3. It exhibits greater effectiveness at low concentrations.

Disadvantages of egg yolk oil: 

1. Depending on variables such as the hen's diet or the extraction techniques used, the content of egg yolk oil can differ significantly⁸. 
2. Hypersensitivity reactions, such as skin irritation, redness, or aggravation of the wound site, can occur in those with egg allergy.

Mechanism of action of egg yolk oil in healing burn infections: 

Through a complex process that includes anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and tissue-regenerative properties, egg yolk oil aids in the healing of burn wounds⁷. By blocking pro-inflammatory cytokines, bioactive substances like choline and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) found in the phospholipid fraction assist regulate the inflammatory response and lessen tissue damage, discomfort, and edema ^{3, 12}.

Its strong antioxidant profile, especially that of vitamins A, D, and E, reduces oxidative stress, which is often increased in burn injuries, and scavenges free radicals. Egg yolk oil also has a high concentration of lipids, such as phospholipids, cholesterol, and triglycerides, which help to restore the skin barrier, hold onto moisture, and promote keratinocyte migration and proliferation—all of which are necessary for re-epithelialization ^{7, 2,11}.

Oleic and linoleic acids are two examples of fatty acids that have antibacterial properties and can help stop subsequent infections in the wound region ⁶. Additionally, egg yolk oil may promote collagen synthesis and fibroblast activity, which would aid in tissue regeneration and better wound healing. Egg yolk oil is a promising natural product for promoting the healing of burn wounds because of these combined effects ¹⁷.

Conclusion: 

Egg yolk oil's high concentration of vital fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants makes it a promising natural treatment for burn wound healing. These bioactive ingredients support better skin repair, less inflammation, and increased tissue regeneration. More thorough clinical research is required to create standardized formulations, ideal dosages, and long-term safety, even if traditional usage and preliminary studies confirm its effectiveness. All things considered, egg yolk oil might be a useful adjunctive treatment for burn wound care, especially in situations where access to traditional therapies is restricted.

Conflict of Interest: No conflict of interest 

Author Contributions: All authors have equal contribution in the preparation of manuscript.

Funding: No funding.

Ethical approval and Informed Consent: NA 

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