Effect on the Wound Healing Process andIn VitroCell Proliferation by the Medicinal Mexican PlantAgeratina pichinchensis

Abstract

The species Ageratina pichinchensis (Asteraceae) has been used for a long time in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of different skin conditions and injuries. In this study, the healing capacity of the plant extracts obtained was evaluated and, in order to understand the mechanism of healing, we also analyzed its effect on cell proliferation IN VITRO, cytotoxicity, and skin irritation. Different extracts obtained from the aerial parts of A. pichinchensis, topically administrated, were evaluated in a healing model by scalpel-blade incision on the rat. The extracts, at 10 % concentrations, were administrated daily during an eight-day period. A control group, to which the vehicle was administered, was used; while fibrinolysin (Fibrase SA®) was administered for positive control purposes. Reduction in wound size and the histological characteristics of the skin at the end of the treatment were evaluated. Cytotoxicity was evaluated in cell lines KB (nasopharyngeal carcinoma), UISO (squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix), OVCAR (ovarian carcinoma), and HCT-15 (colon carcinoma). In addition, the effect on cell proliferation of cell line MRC-5 (normal cells from human fetal lung) was measured, and skin irritation was evaluated. The results showed an important healing capacity of A. pichinchensis extract in noninfected wounds; the aqueous extract was found to be the most efficient. The extracts exhibited no cytotoxic effect; however, there was an effect that promoted cell proliferation in cell line MRC-5. The products tested demonstrated no skin irritant effects.

Exploratory Study on the Effectiveness of a Standardized Extract fromAgeratina pichinchensisin Patients with Chronic Venous Leg Ulcers

“…ican traditional medicine thanks to its usefulness as a remedy for the treatment of different skin diseases such as wounds and fungus-caused infections. As it has been previously demonstrated in animal models, the extract obtained from A. pichinchensis possesses an important capacity to improve healing in skin wounds without producing any side effects [5]. In the present work, we demonstrated the capacity of a pharmaceutical formulation elaborated with the standardized extract of A. pichinchensis to accelerate the healing process of venous ulcers in ambulatory patients.…”

“…The extract demonstrated its capacity for significantly reducing the time needed for healing a wound induced on the skin of rats. This same extract showed (in vitro) the capacity to promote prolif-eration of normal human fetal lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) [5]. Chronic venous leg ulcers are a very frequently observed health problem in elderly persons; the ulcers are usually located on the distal third of the leg.…”

Ethno-Herbal-Medico in Wound Repair: An Incisive Review

“…Several research groups also reported that the extracts of valuable medicinal plants such as Annona squamosa (Ponrasu et al, ), Ageratina pichinchensis (Romero‐Cerecero et al, ), Andrographis paniculata (Al‐Bayaty et al, ), Butea monosperma (Muralidhar et al, ) and Calendula extracts (Parente et al, ) were formulated in aqueous and ointment forms that are beneficial for cutaneous wound healing applications both in vivo and in vitro model of cells and rodents (Pazyar et al, ).…”

“…Several research groups also reported that the extracts of valuable medicinal plants such as Annona squamosa (Ponrasu et al, 2013), Ageratina pichinchensis (Romero-Cerecero et al, 2011), Andrographis paniculata (Al-Bayaty et al, 2012), Butea monosperma (Muralidhar et al, 2011) and Calendula extracts (Parente et al, 2012) were formulated in aqueous and ointment forms that are beneficial for cutaneous wound healing applications both in vivo and in vitro model of cells and rodents (Pazyar et al, 2014). James and Dubery (2009) investigated the wound healing properties of active components derived from C. asiatica and its possible mechanism of actions like antioxidative properties, collagen synthesis and angiogenesis in mouse model.…”

Antiviral activity of Ageratina havanensis and major chemical compounds from the most active fraction

“…Some species possess different biological properties, such as wound healing, cell proliferation stimulation and antimycotic action (Romero-Cerecero et al, 2008;Romero-Cerecero et al, 2011). Ageratina havanensis (Kunth) R. M. King & H. Robinson (common name: Havana snakeroot) is a species of fl owering shrub in this family, native of the Caribbean and Texas (Diggs et al, 1999).…”