Abstract

Subhashini S. and Kantha D. Arunachalam

Adhatoda vasica has been used in many ayurvedic formulations. In order to evaluate the wound healing activity of A. vasica, five different solvent extracts were prepared from the leaves of the plant. Methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform and hexane were used for the extraction of the active ingredients. Excision wound model on Swiss albino mice was used to assess the wound healing activity of the leaves. Remarkable wound healing activity was observed with the ointment formulation of the methanol extract at 1% concentration. Wound contraction was calculated as percentage of the reduction in wound area. A specimen sample of tissue was isolated from the healed skin of each group of mice for the histopathological examination. The results of histopathological examination also supported the outcome of excision wound models. Hematoxylin and Eosin stained sections and Van Gieson’s stained sections were checked for collagen deposition. Toluidine blue stained sections were checked for metachromatic staining of mast cells. The present study demonstrated that the aerial parts of A. vasica promote wound healing activity in mice as a preclinical study.