Evaluation of wound-healing potency of Vernonia arborea     Hk.

Objective : To investigate the comparative wound-healing potency of aqueous and methanol leaf extracts of Vernonia arborea Hk.
Materials and Methods : Excision, incision and dead space wound models were used to evaluate the wound-healing activity of Vernonia arborea Hk., on Swiss Wistar strain rats of either sex. In excision wound model, treatment was continued till the complete healing of the wound, in incision and dead space wound models the treatment was continued for 10 days. For topical application, 5% w/w ointment of aqueous and methanol leaf extracts was prepared in 2% sodium alginate and for oral administration suspensions containing 30 mg/ml of each of the extracts in 1% gum tragacanth were prepared. In excision and incision wound models, the control group of animals were left untreated and in dead space wound models the animals were treated with 1 ml of 1% gum tragacanth / kg, b.w. The healing of the wound was assessed by the rate of wound contraction, period of epithelialisation, skin breaking strength, granulation strength, dry granulation tissue weight, hydroxyproline estimation and histopathology of the granulation tissue.
Results : Aqueous and methanol leaf extracts promoted the wound-healing activity significantly in all the wound models studied. High rate of wound contraction, decrease in the period for epithelialisation, high skin breaking strength and granulation strength, increase in dry granulation tissue weight, elevated hydroxyproline content and increased collagenation in histopathological section were observed in animals treated with methanol leaf extract and aqueous leaf extract when compared to the control group of animals.
Conclusion : Methanol and aqueous leaf extracts of Vernonia arborea Hk. promote wound-healing activity. Methanol extract possesses better wound-healing property than the aqueous extract.