Evidence for Natural Products as Alternative Wound-Healing Therapies

Abstract

Chronic, non-healing wounds represent a significant area of unmet medical need and are a growing problem for healthcare systems around the world. They affect the quality of life for patients and are an economic burden, being difficult and time consuming to treat. They are an escalating problem across the developed world due to the increasing incidence of diabetes and the higher prevalence of ageing populations. Effective treatment options are currently lacking, and in some cases chronic wounds can persist for years. Some traditional medicines are believed to contain bioactive small molecules that induce the healing of chronic wounds by reducing excessive inflammation, thereby allowing re-epithelisation to occur. Furthermore, many small molecules found in plants are known to have antibacterial properties and, although they lack the therapeutic selectivity of antibiotics, they are certainly capable of acting as topical antiseptics when applied to infected wounds. As these molecules act through mechanisms of action distinct from those of clinically used antibiotics, they are often active against antibiotic resistant bacteria. Although there are numerous studies highlighting the effects of naturally occurring small molecules in wound-healing assays in vitro, only evidence from well conducted clinical trials can allow these molecules or the remedies that contain them to progress to the clinic. With this in mind, we review wound-healing natural remedies that have entered clinical trials over a twenty-year period to the present. We examine the bioactive small molecules likely to be in involved and, where possible, their mechanisms of action.

Benzophenones-natural metabolites with great Hopes in drug discovery: structures, occurrence, bioactivities, and biosynthesis

“…1–4 Yet, a huge number of metabolites with unique structural skeletons and prominent effectiveness have been found in fungi, making them one of the fascinating repositories for therapeutics and lead scaffolds. 2,5–9 These metabolites play crucial functions in treating various disorders, such as hypercholesterolemia (statins), autoimmune diseases, cancer, depression, and infections (antibiotics and antifungal medications). 5–9 Benzophenones (BPs) are a wide class of natural metabolites that have been reported from fungi or higher plants of different families ( e.g.…”

“…2,5–9 These metabolites play crucial functions in treating various disorders, such as hypercholesterolemia (statins), autoimmune diseases, cancer, depression, and infections (antibiotics and antifungal medications). 5–9 Benzophenones (BPs) are a wide class of natural metabolites that have been reported from fungi or higher plants of different families ( e.g. , Clusiaceae, Iridaceae, Lauraceae, Rosaceae, Moraceae, Daphneceae, and Myrtle families).…”

Wound Healing Potential of Plant Secondary Metabolites: <em>In Silico</em>, <em>In Vitro,</em> and <em>In Vivo</em> Experiments

“…Different tools using computational devices are available to evaluate the pharmacological properties and binding capacities of small bioactive candidates on pivotal targets of the healing process [8]. Some plant extracts and their plant-derived molecules (PDMs) e.g., Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis or papayuela (Pycnogenol®), Calendula officinalis L. (faradiol-3-Omyristate), Symphytum × uplandicum Nyman (allantoin), Aloe vera (acemannan) have been evaluated in clinical trials on patients with diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, or venous legs ulcers with very promissory results [9]. To contribute to the search for new pro-healing compounds, this study aimed to determine the WH potential of different PDMs, more of them included in essential oil distilled from aromatic Colombian plants.…”

In‐Silico Selection of Wound‐Healing Plant Secondary Molecules and Their Pro‐Healing Activities on Experimental Models

“…These treatments can include ionising radiation, chemical products, wound dressings, or advanced therapies, which often require extended hospital stays, and their effectiveness varies depending on the cause and individual characteristics [6] . However, clinical trials have shown promising results for using plant extracts and their derivatives in treating diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, and venous leg ulcers [6,7] . We utilised computational methods to identify the most effective PDMs with wound healing (WH) capabilities and validated their efficacy in vitro and in vivo testing.…”

“…[6] However, clinical trials have shown promising results for using plant extracts and their derivatives in treating diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, and venous leg ulcers. [6,7] We utilised computational methods to identify the most effective PDMs with wound healing (WH) capabilities and validated their efficacy in vitro and in vivo testing.…”