Abstract
Lucilia sericata maggots have beneficial properties; however, their protective effects on burn wounds have yet to be fully elucidated. In the present study, a deep second‑degree burn rat model was used to investigate the burn wound healing properties of aqueous extract of maggots (MAE). The anti‑inflammatory, antioxidative and antibacterial activities were examined. In addition, the protein expression levels of Akt, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB) were detected by western blotting. The findings of the present study revealed that MAE treatment increased burn wound healing and hydroxyproline content in the burn‑treated rats. A total of seven compounds (MAE‑P1‑P7) were separated from MAE and a comparative study was performed to identify the major active component. The results demonstrated that MAE‑P6 exerted greater antibacterial activity compared with the other compounds. MAE‑P6 treatment reduced tissue levels of malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor‑α and interleukin‑6, and increased superoxide dismutase activity. Furthermore, MAE‑P6 increased the expression levels of VEGFA and reduced NF‑κB expression through Akt, which was verified by treatment with the Akt‑specific inhibitor, LY294002. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the beneficial effects of MAE on burn wound healing were due to its antibacterial, antioxidative and anti‑inflammatory activities. MAE‑P6 reduced the release of inflammatory cytokines via the Akt/NF‑κB signaling pathway, and regulated angiogenesis and vasopermeability via the Akt/VEGFA pathway.