Wound healing properties and mucilage content of Pereskia aculeata from different substrates

Abstract

Physiologic growth parametersWound healing A B S T R A C TPereskia aculeata Mill., Cactaceae, is a cactus with high mucilage production, well-known for its nutritional properties. Folk use consists on skin injuries, and mucilage is probably involved in the wound healing activity. This work studied some aspects of its cultivation, specifically regarding soil (substrate), to correlate the effects of nutritional content to mucilage production and to the wound-healing property. Plants were grown under five different soil treatment (sand, crude soil, sand and soil, sand and cattle manure, soil and cattle manure), and after eight months extracts were prepared by turbo-extraction to obtain a crude hydroethanolic extract. We evaluated the effects of these extracts on swelling index, cytotoxicity, and in vitro wound healing property. The results show that the substrate used in cultivation may interfere with mucilage production, but not with cytotoxicity and wound healing, this shows the safety of its use, despite the soil treatment received along the various biomes where P. aculeata is cultivated. Furthermore, morphological studies demonstrated the beneficial effect of the mucilage-containing extract on the fibroblast cell culture, corroborating its folk use for wound healing.

Pereskia aculeata Miller leaves present in vivo topical anti-inflammatory activity in models of acute and chronic dermatitis

“…However, there are only few studies about P. aculeata leaves phytochemicals and their therapeutic potential (Pinto et al, 2012;Pinto and Scio, 2014). Recently, Carvalho et al (2014) reported the in vitro wound healing activity of the mucilage extracted from the leaves of this species, and Pinto et al (2015) showed that the hydromethanolic fraction from the crude extract of the leaves presented central and peripheral antinociceptive activity in mice.…”

Using the plants of Brazilian Cerrado for wound healing: From traditional use to scientific approach

“…In vitro tests confirm emollient action in the relief of inflammation besides helping to heal burns (Sartor et al, 2010). P. aculeata extracts promote wound healing activity by increasing the closing velocity, blood flow and deposition of tissue collagen, corroborating its traditional use as an anti-inflammatory and in wound healing (Pinto et al, 2016), mainly due to the proliferative action of the tissue fibroblasts (Carvalho et al, 2014), the increase in the collagen deposition and the greater speed of the contraction of the edges of the wounds (Pinto et al, 2016).…”

Agronomic Cultivation, Chemical Composition, Functional Activities and Applications of Pereskia Species – A Mini Review

“…Recent studies have addressed the cytotoxic activity of Pereskia aculeata ethyl acetate extracts against different human cell lines (Carvalho et al, 2014;Nurestri et al, 2009).…”

“…Wound healing activity has been attributed to the mucilage of cactus leaves (Thornfeldt, 2005;Aburjai and Natsheh, 2003). However, this property has never been tested under experimental conditions (Carvalho et al, 2014). Wound healing is a complex process involving steps of cellular migration and proliferation, especially, but not only, of fibroblast cells (Krishnan, 2006).…”