Phytochemical Composition and Wound Healing Activity of Azadirachta Indica Seed Extract in Wistar Rats.

Abstract

The wound healing activity, antimicrobial and phytochemical constituents of Azadirachta indica seeds were investigated. The methanolic extract of A. indica was prepared, labeled as AIME and studied for phytochemical constituents, antimicrobial activity on transient flora microorganisms of the skin using standard methods. Wound healing study was conducted on 28 Wistar rats distributed into four groups of seven rats each and incised with wound area of 550 mm2. Rats from Groups 1 and 2 were treated with 15 % and 20 % of AIME respectively, Group 3 with 100 % ointment (positive control) while Group 4 were left untreated (negative control). The wound healing activity of the prepared ointments were assessed by the rate of wound contraction, wound area and epitheliazation time on every four days interval. The wound effect on the rats (feed intake, growth parameters, change in body weight, and specific growth rate) were also assessed. The phytochemical analysis of AIME revealed the presence of different bioactive compounds such as alkaloid, reducing sugar, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, terpenoids and sterols in AIME. The two prepared ointments exhibited significant antimicrobial activity on S. aureus, B. subtilis and P. aeroginosa. The results of the wound healing activity indicated that 15 % AIME had the most potent wound healing capacity as evident from epitheliazation time (15.50±0.55 days), followed by its 20 % counterpart with the epitheliazation time of 23.33±2.73 days; that of the positive control was 18.00±1.87. The activity of the endogenous enzymes on the scar areas were also found to be regulated by the seed extract. The increased wound contraction, the antioxidative and moderate antimicrobial activities of the methanolic extract are indicative of the wound healing potential of A. indica seeds. Keywords: Seed extract; phytochemical; antimicrobial; wound healing; epitheliazation period