Wound Management Property of a Hydroethanolic Leaf Extract of Cnestis ferruginea DC

Abstract

Context. Nature assumes imperative part in managing both acute and chronic ailments. Cnestis ferruginea is one of the sources of healing prowlers in traditional medicine practice for the treatment of wounds. Nonetheless, there are no scientific reports archived so far on the wound management activity of this plant. Objective. To establish the wound management property of a hydroethanolic Cnestis ferruginea leaf extract (CFHE). Materials and Methods. The wound area was measured after excision at the dorsal part of the Albino rats, and after treatment with 5–15% w/w CFHE ointments for 14 days. Absorbances of platelet-rich plasma treated with 0.8–100 mg/mL CFHE and an aggregating agent were spectrophotometrically determined in an in vitro platelet aggregation test. Wound tissue histopathology of CFHE ointment-treated animals revealed angiogenesis, reepithelialization, deposition of collagen, and granular tissue formation in wound tissues. Reduction in thigh oedema and pain threshold, in 7-day-old chicks, were assessed by carrageenan-induced oedema and Randall-Sellito pressure models, respectively. By the Agar diffusion method, bacterial growth inhibition by a 15% w/w CFHE ointment was investigated on Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus. Aureus, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Results. All concentrations of CFHE ointment significantly reduced (p100% growth inhibition of selected bacteria. Conclusion. The hydroethanolic leaf extract of Cnestis ferruginea possesses wound healing, platelet aggregation, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antimicrobial properties and, hence, could be effective in the management of open and some closed wounds.