Practices in Wound Healing Studies of Plants

Abstract

Wounds are the result of injuries to the skin that disrupt the other soft tissue. Healing of a wound is a complex and protracted process of tissue repair and remodeling in response to injury. Various plant products have been used in treatment of wounds over the years. Wound healing herbal extracts promote blood clotting, fight infection, and accelerate the healing of wounds. Phytoconstituents derived from plants need to be identified and screened for antimicrobial activity for management of wounds. The in vitro assays are useful, quick, and relatively inexpensive. Small animals provide a multitude of model choices for various human wound conditions. The study must be conducted after obtaining approval of the Ethics Committee and according to the guidelines for care and use of animals. The prepared formulations of herbal extract can be evaluated by various physicopharmaceutical parameters. The wound healing efficacies of various herbal extracts have been evaluated in excision, incision, dead space, and burn wound models. In vitro and in vivo assays are stepping stones to well-controlled clinical trials of herbal extracts.

Review of twelve West Africa medicinal plants: Active phytochemical combinations in direct biochemically wound healing process

“…Tannins act as free radical scavengers (Thakur et al, 2011) and 55% of overviewed plants in our study contain tannins. Triterpenoids and flavonoids promote wound healing due to their astringent and antimicrobial properties (Thakur et al, 2011) and we found that 45% of our plants overviewed contain terpenoids.…”

“…Tannins act as free radical scavengers (Thakur et al, 2011) and 55% of overviewed plants in our study contain tannins. Triterpenoids and flavonoids promote wound healing due to their astringent and antimicrobial properties (Thakur et al, 2011) and we found that 45% of our plants overviewed contain terpenoids. Saponins, due to their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity (Thakur et al, 2011), appear to be responsible for wound contraction and elevated rate of epithelialization; they are present at a level of 36% in these overviewed plants.…”

“…Saponins, due to their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity (Thakur et al, 2011), appear to be responsible for wound contraction and elevated rate of epithelialization; they are present at a level of 36% in these overviewed plants. Finally, we know that flavonoids also possess potent antioxidant and free radical-scavenging effect (Thakur et al, 2011), enhancing the rate of antioxidant enzymes in granuloma tissue and 80% of plants studied here contain flavonoids.…”

“…Sterols and polyphenols are also responsible for wound healing due to free radical-scavenging and antioxidant activity, which are known to reduce lipid peroxidation (Thakur et al, 2011), thereby reduce cell necrosis and improving vascularity. In fact, several types of injuries like burn, wounds, and skin ulcers usually generate superoxides and lipid peroxidation through the activation of neutrophils.…”

Wound Care: Traditional African Medicine Approach

“…In many parts of "frica, divination is widely practiced [51]. It is used as a means to understand the complexities of life and avoid catastrophe.…”