Efficacy of Chromolaena odorata leaf extracts for the healing of rat excision wounds

Abstract

Injury to the soft tissues is followed by wound healing, which consists of four stages: haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodelling. Chromolaena odorata is a weed that is traditionally used for the treatment of various ailments in humans and animals. The present study was aimed at exploring the wound healing potential of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of C. odorata in a rat excision wound model. This investigation involved phytochemical screening and in vitro analyses of various parameters such as antioxidant activity, lipid peroxide inhibitory activity and the effects of extracts on contraction and epithelialisation of the rat excision wounds. The phytochemical screening of both ethanolic and aqueous extracts showed that they were rich in secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides and carbohydrates. The aqueous extract showed high antioxidant and lipid peroxide inhibitory activity, while the ethanolic extract showed high total phenol content and hydrogen peroxide inhibitory activity at concentrations of 50, 100 and 250 μg/ml. Our results also indicate that the most effective concentration of the C. odorata extract for excision wound healing was 5.0% (w/w). C. odorata-treated groups exhibited a faster reduction in wound area compared to control and Betadine-treated groups. In addition, the topical application of C. odorata extract increased collagen synthesis and its stabilisation at the wound site, as evidenced by the increase in hydroxyproline and hexosamine levels and expression of collagen. The present investigation demonstrates that aqueous and ethanolic extracts of C. odorata of varying concentrations promote an accelerated wound healing process and might represent a novel healing agent. Our findings are of potential clinical relevance and might be highly beneficial for drug discovery and development in the area of both human and veterinary medicine.

Optimizing Microwave‐Assisted Extraction Conditions to Obtain Phenolic‐Rich Extract from Chromolaena odorata Leaves

“…Several extraction methods were previously used to recover phenolic compounds from C. odorata , including maceration, decoction, and Soxhlet , , . However, lower recovery yields of the phenolic compound from this plant were reported for these extraction methods; thus, microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE) has been employed herein to recover phenolic compounds from C. odorata leaves.…”

Screening of Microwave-Assisted-Batch Extraction Parameters for Recovering Total Phenolic and Flavonoid Contents from <i>Chromolaena odorata</i> Leaves through Two-Level Factorial Design

“…Moreover, it should be noted that increasing extraction temperature beyond a certain limit may cause concurrent degradation of phenolic compounds that would have been mobilized at a lower temperature. A higher extraction temperature can results in solvent loss through vaporization, this can increase the cost of the extraction process [10,12]. Previous reports by Ameer et al showed that the interaction between irradiation time and ethanol concentration, and irradiation time and microwave power enhanced the Reb-A from powdered stevia leaves [19].…”

“…More so, it should be noted that increasing extraction temperature beyond a certain limit may cause concurrent degradation of phenolic compounds that would have been mobilized at a lower temperature. Likewise, a higher extraction temperature leads to solvent loss through vaporization, this can increase the cost of the extraction process [10,12]. In order to affirm the significant contribution of extraction temperature to this process, the extraction temperature in a range of 40 to 80 °C was chosen for further experimentation.…”

“…Phenolic compounds are known to possess antioxidant activity through various mechanisms, including free radical inhibition, hydrogen donors, metal chelation, gene expression, and signaling pathways [8]. Different extraction methods had been employed in previous studies to recover phenolic compounds from this plant, which include maceration, decoction and Soxhlet [7,[9][10]. Nevertheless, lower recovery yields of the phenolic compounds had been reported through these conventional extraction methods.…”

Toxicity and Antiplasmodial Assessments of Chromolaena odorata Leaf Extract on Plasmodium berghei-Infected Mice

“…It is a flowering shrub that is native to Central and North America, and was later introduced to Africa, Asia, and Australia [10]. C. odorata is known by other names such as baby tea, bitter bush, Armstrong's weed, butterfly weed, devil weed, king weed, Christmas bush, Siam weed, eupatorium, paraffin weed and turpentine weed [11]. It contains bioactive compounds such as steroids, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins and saponins, which can act singly or synergistically to exert different biological effects [12].…”