Wound healing, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the leaf and stem bark of Entada africana Guill. & Perr.
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Date
2021-01-30
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KNUST.
Abstract
Entada africana (Mimosaceae) is widely used in African traditional medicine as a wound healing agent. This
study investigated the wound healing, antimicrobial and anti-oxidant activities of the leaf and stem bark of
E. africana in order to scientifically validate its wound healing properties. Methanol extracts of the leaf and
stem bark were formulated into creams (5 20%) and tested in the dermal excision wound model in rats. The
broth dilution assay was used to determine the antimicrobial activity; DPPH free radical scavenging, ferric
reducing power, total antioxidant capacity, total phenolic and total flavonoid content were determined to
assess the antioxidant activity. Significant wound healing was demonstrated by topical application of the
extract creams. By the 10 th day, a total wound surface closure of 98.8%, 95.8%, 96.3% and 73.9% was observed
for the 10% stem bark and leaf creams, standard drug and blank cream treated groups respectively. Histo-
pathological examination of the healed tissue sections showed significant collagen production, scanty
inflammatory cell infiltrates and re-epithelialization whereas tissues from the blank cream treated group dis-
played focal areas of abscess and diffused inflammatory cells. The methanol stem bark extract demonstrated
antibacterial activity against S. aureus and S. pyogenes with a minimum inhibitory concentration of
1.56 mg/mL. The stem bark and leaf had antioxidant activity and were found to contain a total phenolic con-
tent of 47.25 and 133.7 mg/g Gallic acid equivalent respectively and total flavonoid content of 21.06 and
88.21 mg/g quercetin equivalent respectively. The above results indicate that the leaves and stem bark of E.
africana have great potential for the treatment of open wounds.
Description
This work is submitted into Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. College of Health Sciences, Dept. of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2021.