Chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and wound healing effects of Trachyspermum roxburghianum (DC.) H. Wolff essential oil: An in vivo and in silico approach

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevanceTrachyspermum roxburghianum (DC.) H. Wolff, commonly known as ‘Ajamoda,’ is a neglected Indian spice highly used in Ayurveda and folklore remedies as an antimicrobial for chronic wounds and discharges, along with many other disease conditions. Aim of the studyThe objective of the study was to explore chemical composition and to investigate the antioxidant, antimicrobial, analgesic, and wound healing activities of T. roxburghianum fruit essential oil from India. Materials and methodsThe phytochemical characterization of the oil was determined through standard qualitative procedures and the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique. The in vitro antioxidant aptitude was assessed by scavenging DPPH and ABTS radicals. The antimicrobial potential of the oil was investigated using the disc diffusion method, followed by the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial and fungal strains. The analgesic potential was evaluated using thermal and chemically induced pain models in Swiss albino mice. Wound healing was assessed in vivo, including determining wound contraction rates, histopathology, and hydroxyproline estimation, using the excision wound model in Swiss albino mice. ResultsGC-MS analysis identified 55 compounds with major terpenoids, including thymol (13.8%), limonene (11.5%), and others. Substantial radical-scavenging activity was exhibited by T. roxburghianum fruit essential oil (TREO) (IC50 94.41 ± 2.00 μg/mL in DPPH assay and 91.28 ± 1.94 μg/mL in ABTS assay). Microorganisms were inhibited with low MIC (2 μL/mL for the inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis; 4 μL/mL against Salmonella typhi and 16 μL/mL against Candida albicans). In the cytotoxicity study, no cytotoxicity was observed on the Monkey Normal Kidney Cell line (Vero). Significant antinociceptive effects were observed (25.47 ± 1.10 % of inhibition at 100 mg/kg and 44.31 ± 1.69 % at 200 mg/kg). A remarkable rate of wound closure and epithelization, along with a marked increase in hydroxyproline content, were observed for the oil during wound healing in mice. ConclusionsThe results suggested that oil could be utilized as a potential source of wound healing therapeutics.