Abstract
The objective of this study was to assess the wound healing traits of Valeriana officinalis and Chelidonium majus hydro-alcoholic (HA) extracts on surgical wounds in Wistar rats. The HA root extracts were separated using percolator and 96 degree alcohol in desiccator device. Additionally, 24 Wistar rats (six months old, 200 g) were divided into three groups: control, V. officinalis, and C. majus. Wound creation (2 cm in diameter) was developed by initial intraperitoneal injection of anesthetic drugs (5% ketamine and 5mg/kg of diazepam) and hair shaving. 24 hours after wound creation, treatment was initiated using ointment containing 5% of each V. officinalis and C. majus HA extract, applied for 21 days. Wound imaging on days 4, 7, 14 and 21 was performed using a digital camera. Histopathologic examination of the wounds was conducted at 4, 7, 14 and 21-day intervals. Microscopic and macroscopic observations revealed significantly higher wound healing rates in treated groups compared to the control. Histopathologic examinations indicated sufficient angiogenesis, existence of collagen and fibroblast cells and reduction in the inflammatory cells. Moreover, wound contraction was observed in the treated groups. Noticeably, the C. majus HA extract treated the wounds more efficiently. The wound healing in Wistar rats using HA extracts from V. officinalis and C. majus was promising though more investigations are required. Additionally, C. majus HA extract demonstrated healing effect compared to that of V. officinalis. It is proposed to evaluate the cytotoxic levels of extracts and formulate them in future studies to achieve more efficient and rapid healing of wounds. In addition, combination of extracts from various herbal medicines and with synthetic drugs can be studied for wound healing applications.