INTRODUCTION:

The wound may be defined as a loss or breaking of cellular and anatomic or functional continuity of living tissues. Healing of wound is a biological process that is initiated by trauma and often terminated by scar formation. Traditionally remote area peoples are used as a folklore medicine that is Bauhinia purpurea for wound healing activity (Jain V et al). B. purpurea known to the Malays as pokok tapak kerbau, has been traditionally used by the Indian, Sri Lankan and Pakistani people to treat ailment like ulcer, wound, glandular swelling and stomach tumor. The decoction of the root is used for expelling gases, flatulence and griping pain from the stomach and bowel, the bark of the plant is used as an astringent in the treatment of diarrhea. Its decoctions are recommended for ulcers as a useful wash solution. The bark or root and flower mixture with boiled rice water is used as maturant for boils and abscesses (Kurian, J.C et al). The decoction of flower works as a laxative (Wassel, M et al).

Fresh bark of Kaanchanaara (B. purpurea) mixed with Shunthi (dry Zingiber offficinale), pounded with sour gruel, was prescribed in enlarge cervical glands (Vrindamaadhava) as well as in goiter (Shaarangadhara Samhitaa, Bhavaprakaasha). Over the counter Kaanchanaara (B. purpurea) Guggulu (Shaarangadhar Samhitaa) is used to treat enlarge cervical glands, goiter and scrofulous tumors, so is kaanchan-gudikaa (Bhaishjya Ratnaavali). It has also been reported to contain high phenolics which are usually referred to as anti-quality factor for ruminant nutrition’s because of their high affinity with proteins (Yadav, S et al). The present work has been carried out to evaluate the wound healing effect of methanolic leaf extract of bauhinia purpurea using experimental animal models.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Collection of Plant Materials:

The leaves of Bauhinia purpurea were collected from Cherlapally village region in Nalgonda District of Andhra Pradesh, India. The plant was authenticated by Prof K. Raju, Professor, Department of Botany, Kakatiya University, Warangal, A.P, India. The collected leaves were dried at room temperature and powdered.

Preparation of Extracts:

The extracts of Bauhinia purpurea were prepared by maceration with methanol as a solvent. The shade dried leaf powder was kept in the macerator apparatus and extraction was allowed to run successively using the solvent methanol. Extract was concentrated and were weighed.

Animals used:

Healthy Wistar albino rats of either sex and of approximately the same age, weighing about 180-230 g were used for the study. They were fed with standard diet and water ad libitum. They were housed in polypropylene cages maintained under standard conditions like 12 hrs light and 12 hrs dark cycles at 27±3⁰C temperature. Animal experiments were carried out following the guidelines of the animal ethics committee of the institute.

Wound healing activity:

Screening for wound healing activity was performed by excision wound model (Baie SH et al, Vijitha C et al). Adult albino rats of either sex were divided into three groups, each containing six animals. They were depilated at the desired site and wounding was performed under light ether anesthesia. A circular wound of approximately 2.5 cm diameter was impressed on the skin from the demarked area. The skin was excised to get a wound measuring approximately 300 mm² and 2 mm depth. After achieving full haemostasis by blotting the wound with cotton swabs soaked in saline, the animals were placed in their individual cages. The animals were treated daily as follows, from 0 to 16th post – wounding day. Group I was treated with control (ointment base), group II with standard (povidone iodine ointment) and groups III were treated with 5% ointments of leaf extracts (200mg/kg). The wound contraction rate was monitored by planimetric measurement of wound area of each animal on 0, 4^th, 8^th and 16^th post wounding day. This was achieved by tracing the wound area on a graph paper. Reduction in the wound area was expressed as percentage of the original wound size.

Incision wound model: (Nayak BS et al)

The incision wound model was studied under light ether anesthesia. The animal was secured to operation table in its natural position. Paravertebral straight incision of approximately 6 cm diameter was made on either side of the vertebral column with the help of scalpel blade. Wounds were cleaned with 70% alcohol soaked with cotton swabs. They were kept in separate cages. Group I was treated with control (ointment base), group II with standard (povidone iodine ointment) and groups III were treated with ---% ointments of leaf extracts (200mg/kg) for 10 days. The sutures were removed after 8 days, on tenth day the tensile strength was measured by continuous constant water supply technique.

Intial area of wound - N^th day area of wound

Percentage of = ------------------------------------------- ×100

wound closure Intial area of wound

Statistical Analysis:

The means of wound area measurement and wound breaking strength between groups at different time intervals were compared using one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s tests.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

The methanolic leaf extract were screened for wound healing activity. Table 1 shows the results of the wound healing activity of extract ointment formulations by excision method. The results were expressed as mean percentage closure of excision wound area. The studies on excision wound healing model reveal that the test group showed a decrease in wound area from 1st day to 16th day. Ointment prepared from methanolic leaf extract has shown significant wound healing activity, which was comparable to that of standard marketed preparation. However, the rate of contraction is less when compared to standard. On 16th day complete healing of wound was observed with standard marketed ointment, and ointment of methanolic leaf extract produced 83.48% healing of wound as compared to control. The control (ointment base) has shown 76.22% healing. Table 2 and Figure 1 shows the results of the wound healing activity of extract ointment formulations by incision method. The results were expressed as mean breaking strength of incision wound area. The studies on incision wound healing model reveal that the test group showed high breaking strength in wound area from 1st day to 10th day. Ointment prepared from methanolic leaf extract has shown significant wound healing activity, which was comparable to that of standard marketed preparation. The rate of breaking strength is more when compared to standard. On 10th day complete healing of wound was observed with standard marketed ointment, and ointment of methanolic leaf extract produced 485.17g healing of wound as compared to control. The control (ointment base) has shown 293.17g healing.

Table-1: Effect of leaf extract of Bauhinia purpurea on excision wound (% wound closure)

Day	Group-I	Group-II	Group-III
0	0	0	0
4	10.78 %	22.42 %	17.86 %
8	25.36 %	35.68 %	35.27 %
16	76.22 %	87.86 %	83.48 %

Table-2: Effect of leaf extract of Bauhinia purpurea on wound healing in incision wound

Groups	Incision wound breaking strength (g)
Groups –I	293.17 ± 31.9
Groups -II	421 ± 81.14
Groups -III	485.17 ± 34.64

CONCLUSION:

It may be concluded that the plant Bauhinia purpurea is endowed with significant wound healing activity due to the presence active constituents, there by justifying its use in the indigenous system of medicine.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

This research work done at Venkateshwara Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and providing financial support and facilities for this encouragement. The authors also thanks to Principal and Management, Cherlapelly, Nalgonda

REFERENCES:

1. Jain V, Prasad V and Pandey RS. Wound healing activity of Desmodium gangeticum in Different Wound Model. Journal of Plant Sciences 2006, 1(3):247-253

2. Kurian, J.C., 2004. Plant that Heal. 7th Edn., Oriental Watchman Publishing House, Pune, pp: 31.

3. Wassel, M., S.M. Abdel-Wahab and N.M. Ammar, 1986. Constituents of the essential oils from Bauhinia variegata L. and Bauhinia purpurea L. flowers. Sci. Pharm., 54: 357-361.

4. Yadav, S. and B.K. Bhadoria, 2001. Chemical and biochemical assessment of some leguminoustreeleaves.IndianJ.Anim.Nutr.,18:113-118.

5. Baie SH and Sheikh KA. Journal of ethnopharmacology 2000; 73: 15-30.

6. Vijitha C, Srisailam K, Sathis Kumar D, Narender Prasad D and Shiny G. Inventi Rapid:EthnoPharmacology, 2010; 1(2): ep147.

7. Nayak BS, Anderson M, Periara LM and Pinto. Fitoterapia 2007; 78(7-8): 540-544.

Received on 30.06.2011 Accepted on 01.07.2011

Asian J. Res. Pharm. Sci. 1(2): April-June 2011; Page 47-49

*Corresponding Author E-mail: bhaskar3743@yahoo.com