Evaluation of the wound healing activity of the crude extract of root bark of Brucea antidysentrica, the leaves of Dodonaea angustifolia and Rhamnus prinoides in mice

BACKGROUND: Wounds are major problems of developing countries that can be managed alternatively using traditional medicinal plants. Since majority of currently available drugs for wound management are expensive and pose problems such as allergy and drug resistance, it is pivotal for the world to have intensified inquiries on the claimed medicinal plants to come up with wound healing chemicals being affordable, effective and safe. Ethiopian traditional healers recruit a wide range of medicinal plants with wound healing activities. Root bark juice of Brucea antidysentrica, the leaves of Rhamnus prinoides and Dodonaea angustifolia are claimed among others in the folklore medicine. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo wound healing activities of the root bark juice of Brucea antidysentrica, the leaves of Rhamnus prinoides and Dodonaea angustifolia in mice. METHOD: The root bark juice of Brucea antidysentrica, the leaves of Rhamnus prinoides and Dodonaea angustifolia were collected, dried, ground to coarse powders. Then the crude extract was obtained by macerating with 80% methanol. The filtrate was dried, reconstituted in appropriate solvent and the wound healing activity was evaluated using excision and incision wound models. RESULTS: On the last day of treatment, 80% methanol extracts from the selected medicinal plants showed a significant wound healing activity against control as supported by an increase in % wound contraction and a decrease in Epithelialization period. Ten percent of Rhamnus prinoides showed significant wound contraction against the control (P < 0.05) on days 2 and 4. But on day 6; except 5% extracts of Brucea antidysentrica and Rhamnus prinoides; all doses of extracts contracted the wound significantly (P < 0.05). Extracts of Dodonea angustifolia (5% & 10%) and 10% of Rhamnus prinoides and Bruceaantidysentrica increases wound contraction rate with increasing significant level on days 8 & 10 (P < 0.01) and 12 &14 (P < 0.001). Among the extracts, 10% of Dodonea angustifolia showed maximum percent (99.9%; P < 0.001) of wound contraction followed by 5% Dodonea angustifolia (99.15%; P < 0.001) and 10% Rhamnus prinoides (99.00%; P < 0.001) on the last day of treatment. In addition; significantly shorter healing time was attained by 5% &10% leaves of Dodonea angustifolia (P < 0.01), 10% leaves Rhamnus prinoides & root barks Brucea antidysentrica (P < 0.05). Ten percent of Rhamnus prinoides & Brucea antidysentrica (P < 0.05) and both doses (5% & 10%) of Dodonea angustifolia (P < 0.01) significantly increased the tensile strength by 54.10%, 56.58%, 63.04%, and 79.19%, respectively against the control. CONCLUSION: The 80% methanol crude extracts of the study plants support the traditional claims for healing of wounds as evidenced by an increase in wound contraction rate and tensile strength, decrease in Epithelialization period.