Wound Healing Activities of Hydromethanolic Crude Extract and Solvent Fractions of Bersama abyssinica Leaves in Mice

Effect of Ducrosia anethifolia methanol extract against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms on excision wound in diabetic mice

Background

Ducrosia anethifolia is an aromatic desert plant used in Saudi folk medicine to treat skin infections. It is widely found in Middle Eastern countries.

Methods

A methanolic extract of the plant was prepared, and its phytoconstituents were determined using LC-MS. In-vitro and in-vivo antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of the methanolic extract were evaluated against multidrug-resistant bacteria. The cytotoxic effect was assessed using HaCaT cell lines in-vitro. Diabetic mice were used to study the in-vivo antibiofilm and wound healing activity using the excision wound method.

Results

More than 50 phytoconstituents were found in the extract after LC-MS analysis. The extract exhibited antibacterial activity against both the tested pathogens. The extract was free of irritant effects on mice skin, and no cytotoxicity was observed on HaCaT cells with an IC50 value of 1381 µg/ml. The ointment formulation of the extract increased the healing of diabetic wounds. The microbial load of both pathogens in the wounded tissue was also reduced after the treatment. The extract was more effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) than MDR-P. aeruginosa in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Further, skin regeneration was also observed in histological studies.

Conclusions

The results showed that D. anethifolia methanol extract supports wound healing in infected wounds in diabetic mice through antibacterial, antibiofilm, and wound healing activities.

The ethnomedicine, phytochemistry, and pharmacological properties of the genus Bersama: current review and future perspectives

Bersama (Melianthaceae) has been used in traditional medicine for a wide range of ailments, including blood purifier, immune booster, psychotropic medication, and treatment for malaria, hepatitis, infertility, diabetes, impotency, meningitis, and stroke. This review gathers fragmented information from the literature on ethnomedicinal applications, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of the Bersama genus. It also explores the therapeutic potential of the Bersama genus in ethnophytopharmacology, allowing for further investigation. All the available information published in the English language on Bersama genus was compiled from electronic databases such as Academic Journals, Ethnobotany, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and library search using the following keywords: "Bersama genus," "traditional use," "phytochemistry," "pharmacological effects," and "toxicology". The ethnomedical applications of the Bersama genus have been recorded, and it has been used traditionally for more than 30 different types of ailments. Thus far, more than 50 compounds have been isolated from the genus. Cardiac glycosides and terpenoids are the main compounds isolated from the Bersama genus. Different plant parts of Bersama genus extracts demonstrated a wide range of pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, antimalarial, antidiabetic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic activity. Exemplary drug leads from the genus include mangiferin and quercetin-3-O-arabinopyranoside, both of which have antioxidant activities. Bersama genus has long been used to cure a wide range of ailments. Bersama genus extracts and phytochemicals have been found to have promising pharmacological activities. Further study on promising crude extracts and compounds is required to develop innovative therapeutic candidates.

Phytochemical composition and in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Bersama abyssinica F. seed extracts

Medicinal plants can be potential sources of therapeutic agents. Traditional healers use a medicinal plant from Ethiopia, Bersama abyssinica Fresen, to treat various diseases. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical components and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of B. abyssinica seed extracts (BASE). Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis was used to determine the phytochemical compositions of BASE. The antioxidant activities were assessed by using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, thiobarbituric acid-reactive species (TBARS) assay, ferric chloride reducing assay and hydroxyl scavenging capacity assay. Antimicrobial activity was investigated using the agar well diffusion method. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of saponins, glycosides, tannins, steroids, phenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids. GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 30 volatile compounds; α-pinene (23.85%), eucalyptol (20.74%), β-pinene (5.75%), D-limonene (4.05%), and o-cymene (5.02%). DPPH-induced free radical scavenging (IC50 = 8.78), TBARS (IC50 = 0.55 µg/mL), and hydroxyl radicals' scavenging capacities assays (IC50 = 329.23) demonstrated high antioxidant effects of BASE. Reducing power was determined based on Fe3+-Fe2+ transformation in the presence of extract. BASE was found to show promising antibacterial activity against S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa (zone of inhibition 15.7 ± 2.5 mm, 16.0 ± 0.0 mm, and 16.7 ± 1.5 mm, respectively), but excellent antifungal activities against C. albican and M. furfur (zone of inhibition 22.0 ± 2.0 mm and 22.0 ± 4.0 mm, respectively). The seeds of B. abyssinica grown in Ethiopia possess high antioxidant potential, promising antibacterial and superior antifungal activity. Therefore, seeds of B. abyssinica provide a potential source for drug discovery.

Evaluation of Wound Healing Activity of 80% Methanol Stem-Bark Extract and Solvent Fractions of Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman (Rosaceae) in Mice

Purpose

Prunus africana is a well-known plant that is used in Ethiopian traditional medicine for the treatment of wounds and other ailments, although there is no scientific evidence to back up the claims of its wound-healing properties. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the wound-healing potential of P. africana bark extract in mice.

Methods

The bark of the plant was extracted by successive maceration using 80% methanol and then fractionated with aqueous, n-butanol, and chloroform. The crude extract and solvent fractions were formulated as an ointment. Wound healing activity was evaluated using excision and incision wound models. Total phenol, flavonoid, and alkaloid contents of the crude extract, aqueous, and n- butanol fractions of the plant were determined.

Results

In both models, mice treated with 5% (w/w) and 10% (w/w) crude extract ointment exhibited a significant (p < 0.001) wound healing activity compared with control as evidenced by the increased rate of wound contraction and hydroxyproline content, the reduced epithelialization time, and the higher skin breaking strength. Mice treated with aqueous fraction ointment exhibited a high percentage of wound healing effect among all solvent fractions. The aqueous fraction consisted of higher phenolic (49.71 ± 0.73 mg/g) and flavonoid (39.58 ± 0.27 mg/g) content, while alkaloid (3.89 ± 0.55 mg/g) content was the lowest.

Conclusion

Prunus africana stem bark extract demonstrated wound healing activity in mice model which supports the acclaimed use by Ethiopian traditional medicine.

The wound healing effect of botanicals and pure natural substances used in in vivo models

Repairing the wound is a multistep process that includes the spatial and temporal synchronization of a different range of cell types to increase the speed of wound contraction, the proliferation of epithelial cells, and collagen formation. The need for proper management of acute wounds to be cured and not turned into chronic wounds is a significant clinical challenge. The traditional practice of medicinal plants in many regions of the world has been used in wound healing since ancient times. Recent scientific research introduced evidence of the efficacy of medicinal plants, their phyto-components, and the mechanisms underlying their wound-repairing activity. This review aims to briefly highlight the wound-curing effect of different plant extracts and purely natural substances in excision, incision, and burn experimental animal models with or without infection of mice, rats (diabetic and nondiabetic), and rabbits in the last 5 years. The in vivo studies represented reliable evidence of how powerful natural products are in healing wounds properly. They have good scavenging activity against Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects that help in the process of wound healing. It is evident that incorporating bioactive natural products into wound dressings of bio- or synthetic polymers in nanofiber, hydrogel, film, scaffold, and sponge forms showed promising results in different phases of the wound-curing process of haemostasis, inflammation, growth, re-epithelialization, and remodelling.

Evaluation of Wound Healing Activity of 80% Methanol Root Crude Extract and Solvent Fractions of Stephania abyssinica (Dill. & A. Rich.) Walp. (Menispermaceae) in Mice

Background

The root of Stephania abyssinica (Dill. and A. Rich.) Walp. (Menispermaceae) is traditionally used to treat wounds. Despite the fact that there have been in vitro studies and claims supporting wound healing, there has been no scientific data on the in vivo wound healing activities of the root of S. Abyssinica.

Objective

The aim of the study was to evaluate the wound healing activity of 80% methanol root extract and solvent fractions of S. Abyssinica in mice.

Methods

The roots of S. Abyssinica were air dried, ground and macerated by 80% methanol three times successively. The crude extract was fractionated by water, hexane and ethyl acetate separately. The acute dermal toxicity test was done by applying 2000 mg/kg of the 10% w/w crude extract. Wound healing activity of crude extract was evaluated on excision, incision and burn wound models, while the fractions were evaluated on excision wound model only.

Results

In mice, an acute dermal toxicity test of 2000 mg/kg of the 10% w/w crude extract was found to be safe. The 10% w/w crude extract ointment (CEO) produced significant (p < 0.001) wound contraction from 4th to 16th post wounding days, and the 5% w/w CEO were significant (p < 0.01) wound contraction on 10th post wounding day as compared to simple ointment (SO) treated group on excision wound. On burn wound models, the CEO showed highly significant (p < 0.001) from the 6th post wounding days onwards. The tensile strength was increased significantly (p < 0.001) by the CEO treated mice as compared to the untreated group and SO group.

Conclusion

The data obtained from this study showed 80% methanol crude extract, the aqueous and the 10% w/w ethyl acetate fraction possessed better wound healing activities, and decreased period of epithelialization.