Abstract
The decoction of the stem barks from Bowdichia virgilioides KUNTH is a folk remedy used to treat inflammatory disorders in Latin American and Brazil. In the present study, the wound healing activity of aqueous extract of the stem bark from B. virgilioides, called AEBv, was evaluated by the rate of healing by wound contraction and period of epithelization at different days post-wound using the wound excisional model. On day 9, the AEBv-treated animals exhibited significative reduction in the wound area when compared with controls. In wound infected with S. aureus, the AEBv significantly improved the wound contraction when compared to the saline-treated mice. The histological analysis showed that AEBv induced a collagen deposition, increase in the fibroblast count and few inflammatory cells than compared to saline-treated group. The expression of collagen type I was increased in the group treated with AEBv as indicated by immunohistochemical staining. In vitro, the AEBv was effective only against S. aureus but not against P. aeruginosa. Together, the results of this study demonstrate, for the first time, the healing and antimicrobiological effects of aqueous extract of the stem bark from B. virgilioides in the therapy of skin wounds.
Highlights
Bowdichia virgilioides Kunth (Fabaceae) is a plant that grows commonly in several South American countries such as Venezuela, Guiana and Brazil (Flores and Rodrigues 2010)
The wound healing activity of the aqueous extract prepared from the stem barks of Bowdichia virgilioides was evaluated on mice in the excision wound models to confirm the folkloric usage of the plant
In the present paper we report the wound healing potential of the aqueous extract of the stem bark of Bowdichia virgilioides, AEBv, applied on infected and non-infected wounds in mice
Summary
Bowdichia virgilioides Kunth (Fabaceae) is a plant that grows commonly in several South American countries such as Venezuela, Guiana and Brazil (Flores and Rodrigues 2010). Various parts of B. virgilioides are used in the Brazilian traditional medicine for treatment of diseases. Other plant parts such as seeds are used in folk medicine to treat rheumatism, arthritis, and skin diseases (Cruz 1965). The stem bark preparations of the B. virgilioides are reported to have antimalarial (Deharo et al 2001), analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities (Silva et al 2010, Thomazzi et al 2010, Barros et al 2010). The antimicrobial property from B. virgilioides has been attributed to its essential oil of seeds (Almeida et al 2006) and leaves (J.G.R. Feitosa et al, unpublished data). There are no published reports on the antimicrobial activity of the stem barks from B. virgilioides
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