Abstract

D. C. Odimegwu , E. C. Ibezim , C. O. Esimone , C. S. Nworu * and F.B.C. Okoye

In this study, we investigated a herbal ointment containing Dissotis theifolia extract for wound healing and antibacterial activities against clinical wound isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The ointment batches containing different concentrations of the D. theifolia extract was applied topically to both infected and uninfected wounds inflicted on rats and the rate of wound closure assessed by wound area measurement. In vitro, the D. theifolia extract inhibited the different clinical wound isolates of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa with MICs ranging from 3.0 mg/ml for 3 of the 5 clinical strains of S. aureus to 8.0 mg/ml for all the 3 clinical strains of P. aeruginosa tested. In the study of uninfected wounds, incorporation of D. theifolia extract (60, 90, and 120 mg/g) into the applied ointment enhanced the rate of wound closure and reduced the epithelialization period from 14.98 ± 0.46 days for the control group treated with blank ointment to 8.8 ± 0.2 days for the group treated with 120 mg/g of D. theifolia ointment. Similarly, the rate of wound healing of excision wounds infected with clinical isolates of S. aureus were higher for the groups treated with D. theifolia ointment. In this study, the epithelialization period was equally reduced in a dose-related manner from 16.8 ± 0.3 for the blank ointment control to 9.0 ± 0.32 for the 120 mg /g D. theifolia ointment treated group. Phytochemical studies show that crude D. theifolia stem contains saponins, tannins, glycosides, flavonoids, terpenoids, carbohydrates, alkaloids and steroids.