WOUND HEALING ACTIVITIY OF LEAF EXTRACT OF WOODFORDIA FRUTICOSA IN ALBINO RATS

ABSTRACT

In Indian traditional system of medicine, Woodfordia fruticosa kurz (Lytheraceae) is widely used for its wound healing activity. The present study was aimed to evaluate its scientific validity. Here, we report the wound healing activities of hexane, methanol, ethanol, and aqueous extracts of Woodfordia fruticosa leaves in incision and excision wound models in rat. They were randomly divided into incision and excision wound groups. Each group was further subdivided into Control, Standard, HexE-treated, MeE-treated, EtE-treated, AqE-treated groups. The test substances were applied topically once daily. The tensile strength of the incision wound was measured on the seventh day after wound infliction. The wound area, epithelization period, percentage protection of excision wound was measured on the 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, and 16th days. On the seventh day after wound infliction, the tensile strength of incision wound in all extract-treated groups was significantly higher than that of the control group. A significant increase of percentage protection was observed in all extract-treated groups (69.32%, 78.12%, 88.12%, and 62.1% for HexE, MeE, EtE and AqE, respectively).All types of extracts (HexE, MeE, EtE and AqE) exerted wound healing activity, but Ethanolic extract seemed to be the most active extract for wound healing.

Key words: Woodfordia Fruticosa, Wound healing activity, Incision and excision wound models.