WOUND HEALING EFFICACY OF POLYHERBAL OINTMENT: IN VIVO EVALUATION IN RATS USING EXCISION WOUND MODEL

Abstract

Background: Wound healing is a complex physiological process involving haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodelling. Diabetes mellitus presents a major challenge to wound healing primarily due to impaired angiogenesis, reduced collagen synthesis and prolonged inflammation. Objectives: The purpose of present study was to evaluate the in vivo wound healing potential of polyherbal ointment in alloxan-induced diabetic rats using an excision wound model. Materials and methods: In order to evaluate the in vivo wound healing potential of polyherbal ointment in alloxan induced diabetic rats using an excision wound model, the polyherbal formulation was prepared using selected medicinal plants having antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties then the excision wounds of uniform size were created under aseptic conditions and healthy albino rats were divided into different groups such as control, standard and test groups. The animals of the test group received topical application of the polyherbal ointment while the standard group was treated with a conventional wound healing agent. Results: Wound healing was assessed by measuring the percentage of wound contraction, epithelialization period and biochemical parameters such as hydroxyproline content. The histopathological analysis evaluated collagen formation, fibroblast proliferation and neovascularization. Conclusion: The enhanced wound healing results from these parameters suggested that the polyherbal ointment possesses significant wound healing activity in diabetic conditions, likely due to the synergistic effect of its phytoconstituents highlighting the therapeutic potential of polyherbal formulations as effective and safe alternative in managing diabetic wounds.