Biological activities and distribution of plant saponins.

Ethnopharmacological approaches to wound healing--exploring medicinal plants of India.

Catharanthus roseus L (C. roseus) has been used to treat a wide assortment of diseases including diabetes. The objective of our study was to evaluate the antimicrobial and wound healing activity of the flower extract of Catharanthus in rats. Wound healing activity was determined in rats, after administration (100 mg kg-1 day-1) of the ethanol extract of C. roseus flower, using excision, incision and dead space wounds models. The animals were divided into two groups of 6 each in all the models. In the excision model, group 1 animals were topically treated with carboxymethyl cellulose as placebo control and group 2 received topical application of the ethanol extract of C. roseus at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight/day. In an incision and dead space model group 1 animals were given normal saline and group 2 received the extract orally at a dose of 100 mg kg-1 day-1. Healing was assessed by the rate of wound contraction, period of epithelization, tensile strength (skin breaking strength), granulation tissue weight, and hydoxyproline content. Antimicrobial activity of the flower extract against four microorganisms was also assessed The extract of C. roseus significantly increased the wound breaking strength in the incision wound model compared with controls (P < 0.001). The extract-treated wounds were found to epithelialize faster, and the rate of wound contraction was significantly increased in comparison to control wounds (P < 0.001), Wet and dry granulation tissue weights, and hydroxyproline content in a dead space wound model increased significantly (p < 0.05). Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated sensitivity to C. roseus
 Increased wound contraction and tensile strength, augmented hydroxyproline content along with antimicrobial activity support the use of C. roseus in the topical management of wound healing.

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Catharanthus roseus flower extract has wound-healing activity in Sprague Dawley rats

Wounds are the result of injuries to the skin that disrupt the other soft tissue. Healing of a wound is a complex and protracted process of tissue repair and remodeling in response to injury. Various plant products have been used in treatment of wounds over the years. Wound healing herbal extracts promote blood clotting, fight infection, and accelerate the healing of wounds. Phytoconstituents derived from plants need to be identified and screened for antimicrobial activity for management of wounds. The in vitro assays are useful, quick, and relatively inexpensive. Small animals provide a multitude of model choices for various human wound conditions. The study must be conducted after obtaining approval of the Ethics Committee and according to the guidelines for care and use of animals. The prepared formulations of herbal extract can be evaluated by various physicopharmaceutical parameters. The wound healing efficacies of various herbal extracts have been evaluated in excision, incision, dead space, and burn wound models. In vitro and in vivo assays are stepping stones to well-controlled clinical trials of herbal extracts.

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Practices in wound healing studies of plants.

Terminalia arjuna Wight & Arn.--a useful drug for cardiovascular disorders.

The effect of topical application of phytoconstituents (fraction I, II and III) fractionated from a hydroalcohol extract of the bark of the plant, Terminalia arjuna, was assessed on the healing of rat dermal wounds using in vivo models The results indicated a statistically significant increase in the tensile strength of the incision wounds and the percent epithelialization of excision wounds compared with control (p < 005) However, topical treatment with fraction I, consisting mainly of tannins, was found to demonstrate a maximum increase in the tensile strength of incision wounds Even with respect to excision wounds, the fastest rate of epithelialization was seen with fraction I Hexosamine estimation of granulation tissue obtained from excision wounds revealed an increase in the hexosamine content with fraction I compared with the control In addition, fraction I from the hydroalcohol extract of Arjuna bark possessed antimicrobial activity against tested microorganisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes but not Candida albicans These results strongly document the beneficial effects of fraction I, consisting mainly of tannins, of Terminalia arjuna in the acceleration of the healing process Thus, the present study validates the claim made with respect to the plant as well as corroborating the astringent effect of tannins by drawing the tissues closer together

Evaluation of phytoconstituents of Terminalia arjuna for wound healing activity in rats

Hypolipidemic activity of Acorus calamus L. in rats.

Comparative effect of oral administration and topical application of alcoholic extract of Terminalia arjuna bark on incision and excision wounds in rats

Sushma A. Mengi

Papers

Evaluation of phytoconstituents of Terminalia arjuna for wound healing activity in rats

Hypolipidemic activity of Acorus calamus L. in rats.

Comparative effect of oral administration and topical application of alcoholic extract of Terminalia arjuna bark on incision and excision wounds in rats