PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION AND PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF LEAVES OF ZIZIPHUS MAURITIANA FOR WOUND HEALING ACTIVITY IN ALBINO RATS

Abstract

Various medicinal plants are used in traditional system of medicine to treat various diseases and many of these plants have been evaluated for their different pharmacological activities Ziziphus mauritiana one of them. The present work deals with the study of ethanolic extract of leaves of ziziphus mauritiana for its wound healing potency. An excision wound was inflicted by cutting away a 500 mm² full thickness of skin from a predetermined area an impression was made on the dorsal thoracic region 1cm away from vertebral column and 5cm away from ear on the anaesthetized Rats. Wound contraction was measured as percentage contraction in each 2 days after wound formation from the healed wound. The wound healing was evaluated by using two different models viz. full thickness excision and dead space wound models. The reading were recorded on 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17 and 19^th day after post wound day. The ZMLE and standard drug were applied daily to the wound area daily. The healing was assessed by physical parameters like percentage wound contraction, epithelisation and determination of hydroxyproline. The treatment with the ZMLE produced the anti-inflammatory activity against excision wound model and dead space wound model. The ZMLE showed anti-inflammatory activity against Excision wound when compared to the standard cipladine (povidine iodine 5%w/w). There were significant reduction in days required to healing and hydroxyproline and weight of wet and dry granuloma tissue were increased significantly by the treatment with ZMLE. Healing of excision wound were promoted significantly by treatment with ZMLE, ZMLE promoted the wound contraction and reduced the days required for epithelisation. ZMLE possesses significant anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties.