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S u m m a r yWound infection has become a major medical problem in recent years. This study was conducted to evaluate the healing activity of Capparis spinosa against surgical wounds infected by Escherichia coli. Twenty male rats were divided into two groups. Excisions were created surgically on the animals' skin and then infected with E . coli. Group 1 was treated with C . spinosa while Group 2 was untreated. Wound biopsy specimens were collected on days 5, 10 and 16 and analyzed. Results showed that the hydroxyproline content in treatment group was significantly higher in various post wounding days. Protein content increased gradually in ten days. Results of histopathological studies showed moderate to intense granulation tissue formation in treated group on day 10. The histopathological studies showed, that the new epidermis in treated group was thicker than in control group on day 16 post wounding. The present study has demonstrated that ethanol extract of C . spinosa includes properties that accelerate wound healing activities. INTRODUCTIONWound is defined simply as the disruption of the cellular and anatomic continuity of a tissue. Wound may be produced by physical, chemical, thermal, microbial or immunological insult to the tissue. Wound healing is a programmed biological process that restores tissue continuity after injury and is a combination of physical, chemical and cellular events that restore the wounded tissue or replace it with collagen. Wound healing can be divided into three stages, including inflammation, proliferation and remodeling and maturation phases which involve the interaction of various cells, cytokines and growth factors [1]. The normal healing response begins immediately after the injury. When blood spills into the site of injury, the blood platelets contact with collagen and other elements of the extracellular matrix. This triggers the release of clotting factors as well as essential growth factors and cytokines such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). The inflammatory phase begins after the migration of neutrophils to the wound site to clean the tissue. Then, fibroblasts migrate into the tissue to begin the proliferative phase and deposit new extracellular matrix. This new collagen matrix becomes cross linked and organized [2].Due to poor hygienic conditions in undeveloped and developing countries, wound infection has become a common disease in recent years [3]. Several reports associating the enterobacterium Escherichia coli with skin and soft tissue infections have been published: E . coli was found to be the causative agent of neonatal omphalitis [4], cellulitis localized to lower or upper limbs [5], necrotizing fasciitis [6,7], surgical site infections [8], infections after burn injuries [9]. A public tendency towards the use of herbal wound healers is increasing, possibly due to lower side effects and prices of herbals, compared to chemical drugs.Capparis spinosa (caper) (family Capparidaceae) is one of the most common aromati...

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