Evaluation of Wound Healing Activity of Bark Extract of Artocarpus heterophyllus

 

Dharmendra Raghuvanshi, Nilesh Gupta, U.K. Jain*, A.S. Raghuvanshi and Ajay Patel

Bhopal Institute of Technology and Science-Pharmacy Bhojpur Road, Bangrasia, Bhopal (M.P.), 462045

*Corresponding Author E-mail: ukjain65@gmail.com

ABSTRACT:

The wound healing activity of methanolic Bark extract of Artocarpus heterophyllus lam evaluated on excision wound models, in albino mice, in the form of an ointment (5% W/W ointment of bark extract in simple ointment base) which is comparable with standard (Betadine) ointment. In the excision model, the period of epithelization, of the extract treated group was found to be higher than the control group and slightly lesser than standard treated group of animals’ upto 16^th post wounding day. Overall results of this study suggest that the extract possesses significant wound healing activity.

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Wounds are visible results of individual cell death or damage. It is a disruption of tissue integrity that is typically associated with a loss of substance. Therefore wound is a loss of cellular and anatomic or functional continuity of living tissues¹. More than 80% of the world population still depends upon traditional medicines for various skin diseases². Herbal medicines are crucial in wound healing since they initiate disinfection, debridement and providing a moist environment to encourage the establishment of the suitable environment for natural healing process³.

 

Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam, belonging to family- Moraceae, The jackfruit has played a significant role in Indian agriculture for centuries. Archeological findings in India have revealed that jackfruits are cultivated in India 3000 to 6000 years ago. Findings also indicate that Indian Emperor Ashoka the Great encouraged arbori-horticulture of various fruits including jackfruit. Varahamihira, the Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer, wrote a chapter on the treatment of trees in his Brhat Samhita. His treatise includes a specific reference on grafting to be performed on trees such as jackfruit⁴.The bark is useful in fever, boils, wounds, skin diseases. The young fruits are acrid, astringent, carminative and tonic. The ripe fruits are sweet, cooling, laxative, and aphrodisiac and tonic the jackfruit is considered an invasive species in Brazil, especially in the Tijuca Forest National Park in Rio de Janeiro.

 

The seeds are dispersed by these animals, which allow the jackfruit to compete for space with native tree-species. Additionally, as the marmoset and coati also prey opportunistically on bird's eggs and nestlings, the supply of jackfruit as a ready source of food has allowed them to expand their populations, which has negatively impacted the local bird population. Between 2002 and 2007, 55662 jackfruit saplings are destroyed in the Tijuca Forest area in a deliberate culling effort by the park's management. Jackfruit has been cultivated since prehistoric times and has naturalized in many parts of the tropics, particularly in Southeast Asia, today it is an important crop of India, Burma, China, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. It is also grown in parts of Africa, Brazil, Suriname, the Caribbean, Florida, and Australia. It has been introduced to many Pacific islands since post-European contact and is of particular importance in Fiji, there is a large population of Indian descen⁵.

 

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Plant material The bark of Artocarpus heterophyllus lam was collected from Pallippad District Alleppey (Kerala) in March and authenticated in Bhopal Institute of Technology and Science-Pharmacy Bhopal. A voucher specimen has been deposited in our laboratory for further reference.

 

Preparation of extract Collected barks were dried in shade and processed to a coarse powder. This powder was subjected to solvent extraction with methanol in a soxhlet apparatus. After exhaustive extraction, the methanolic extract was dried at low temperature under reduced pressure in a rotary evaporator to obtain greenish-black colored residue. The extract was concentrated and mixed with ointment I.P. and used directly over the wounds during the study.

Table: - 1: Effect of Topical Application of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam on Excision Wounds (Period of epithelization of post wounding day)

S.N.	Treatment	No of animal	Wound area mm2
			4rd Day Mean ± SD	7th Day Mean ± SD	10th Day Mean ± SD	13th Day Mean ± SD	16th Day Mean ± SD
1	Control	6	72.81 ± 9.60	65.28 ± 7.27	36.75 ± 6.47	17.22 ± 5.814	10.66 ± 5.33
2	Standard	6	52.24 ± 4.4317	36.61 ± 2.188	7.63 ± 2.077	0.68* ± 0.542	0.1** ± 0.200
3	Treated (drug)	6	64.41 ± 6.358	54.04 ± 4.13	29.95 ± 3.092	10.03* ± 1.653	3.9** ± 1.137

(Mean ± SEM, n = 6) expressed as period of epithelization in each group on the post wounding day* P<0.05, **P<0.001 vs. control.

 

 

Animal used Male Albino mice, weighing between 35-40 gm were taken and kept in animal house having 12hrs; light/dark cycle. They had free access to food and water. They were fasted overnight before the study but had water ad libitum. The experimental protocol has been approved by institutional animal ethical committee.

 

Wound healing evaluation Screening for wound healing activity was performed by excision wound model. The hairs on the skin of white surface of animals were removed by using a suitable depilatory (Anne-French hair removing cream). The selected animals were divided into three groups of six in each⁶. All the test samples were applied topically.

 

Excision wound model Circular wounds of approximately 10mm diameter were inflicted on the cleared skin by cutting under mild Xylocain 4% topical anesthesia. The areas of the wounds were measured (sq. mm) immediately by using vernier calipers. This was taken as the initial wound area reading. Group-I animals served as negative control, which received ointment I.P. Group-II served as positive control to which betadine (5% w/w in ointment I.P.) was applied topically. Group-III animals were treated with the extract (5% w/w) in a similar manner. All the test samples were applied once daily. The wound area of each animal was measured on 4th, 7^th, 10^th, 13^th and 16^th post wounding day.

 

Statistical Analysis Result were analyzed by Student’s t-test. The minimum level of significance was fixed at p<0.05.

 

RESULT:

On 16^th post wounding day, control animals group-I showed 10.66 ± 5.33 of wound area (which may be due to self immunity of the animals) whereas group-II betadine treated animal, showed 0.1± 0.200 wound areas and the treated group-III exhibited 3.9 ± 1.137 wound areas. When compared with the controls, the activity of extract was found to be highly significant (P<0.001).

 

DISCUSSION:

The studied on excision wound healing model reveales that all the three groups showed decrease wound area from day to day. In studies using excision wound model, animal treated with methanol extract of Artocarpus heterophyllus lam showed significant decrease in epithelization period, epithelization was found to be enhanced significantly (P<0.001), increase wound contraction, as compared to control. The above findings justify the wound healing properties of the bark as suggested in the folklore literature that is comparable with Betadine.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

The authors are thankful to Bhopal Institute of Technology and Science-Pharmacy Bhojpur Road, Bangrasia, Bhopal for providing facilities to carry out the research work.

 

REFRENCES:

1.       Charde, M.S., Fulzele, S.V., Satturwar, P.M., Joshi, S.B., Ksature, A.V., Dorle, A.K., (2005) Study on wound healing activity Of Mulathiadi ghrita: J. Pharma. Res. 4(1): 8-12 pp.

2.       Shamuga priya, K., Gnanamani, A., Radhakrishnan, N., (2002) Healingpotential of Datura Alba on burn wounds in albino rats: J. Ethnopharmacol. 83:193-99 pp.

3.       Purna, S.K., Babu, M., (2000) Collagen based dressings- a review: Burns, 26: 54-62 pp.

4.       Taylor J.L. Forest Monks and the Nation-state: An Anthropological and Historical Study in Northeast Thailand 1993 p218

5.       Prakash O., Kumar R., Mishra A., Gupta R., (2009) Artocarpus heterophyllus (Jackfruit)- An Overview: Pharmacognosy Review, 3(6): 353-58 pp.

6.       Ghosh, T., Dash, G.K., (2004) Wound healing properties of Argemone mexicana Linn: Indian Journal of Natural Products, 20 (4): 3-6 pp

 

 

Received on 27.04.2010       Modified on 18.05.2010

Accepted on 29.05.2010      © RJPT All right reserved