The Wound Healing Effect of an Ointment Formulation Containing Baphia nitida on Adult Wistar Rats

摘要

Phytomedicines are safe, potent, available and affordable. They possess many active constituents with many pharmacological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, etc. The objectives of the research work are to formulate and evaluate the wound healing property of methanol extract of Baphia nitida (Fabaceae) leaves. The extract was formulated as an ointment dosage form and evaluated for its wound healing potential activity in Wistar rats using the contraction of excision wound model. The phytochemical screening was carried out on the methanol extract. The extract at different concentrations (5 %, 10 %, and 20 %) and 5 % Cicatrin? powder (a standard reference) were formulated as ointments. The phytochemical tests indicated that the methanol extract was found to contain alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, and tannins. The optimum dose (10 %) had faster wound area reduction than the standard reference, Cicatrin? though not significant. The optimal concentration significantly varied (p < 0.05) from 5 % extract, and the placebo ointments. There was a progressive decrease in the wound area with time in all the formulations at different rates. The wound healing activity of Baphia nitida was found to be dose dependent as the ointment containing 10 % of extract showed complete epithelization within day 13 post-surgery, while at 20 % concentration, it was observed that there was poor adsorption of extract into the ointment base that resulted in lesser activity. Therefore, this study revealed that Baphia nitida has intrinsic wound healing properties at a given concentration (10 %).