Wound healing features of Prosopis farcta: in vitro evaluation of antibacterial, antioxidant, proliferative and angiogenic properties

Abstract

Prosopis farcta (P. farcta) is a medical plant which is widespread in the Middle East and has several beneficial anti-tumor, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiparasitic and antimicrobial activities as demonstrated in animal studies. In the current study, we evaluated antibacterial, antioxidant, proliferative and angiogenic properties of P. farcta extract using human cell lines to verify its beneficial effects on wound healing in an in vitro human study. We prepared extracts from different parts of the plant including seed, root and fruit. High-performance thin layer chromatography showed highest antioxidant activity for root extract then for fruit extract. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration Test showed that 1250 μg/mL concentration of root and fruit extracts is able to inhibit growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) species. The antioxidant activities of root extract of P. farcta were increased in a concentration-dependent fashion and were comparable to ascorbic acid. MTT assay showed that exposure of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) and normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) cells to the concentrations up to 200 μg/mL did not impose evident toxicity. In vitro wound healing assay in NHDF cells demonstrated wound closure after treatment with two concentrations of root extract. However, the effects were comparable with DMSO. Both plant extract and DMSO up-regulated expression of VEGF-A and FLT1 in HUVEC cells. Based on the evident antimicrobial antioxidant effects of P. farcta, this plant might be regarded as a herbal medicine for wound healing. However, further studies are required to verify these results.