Wound healing activities of Bark Extract of Jatropha curcas Linn in albino rats

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the wound-healing properties of crude bark extract of Jatropha curcas Linn in Wistar albino rats.

METHODS: This work was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India, in the year 2005. We divided the animals into 3 groups of 12 each. Group I was saline control without wound, group II was animals treated with JC extract in the dose of 2 ml/kg body weight with wound and group III was animals treated with 4 ml/kg body weight with wound. The wound healing parameters like wound breaking strength, epithelization period, percent wound contraction, granulation tissue breaking strength, granulation tissue dry weight, hydroxyproline level and histological features were assessed by using incision, excision and dead space wound models.

RESULTS: The results obtained indicated that Jatropha curcas accelerates the healing process by increasing the skin breaking strength, granulation tissue breaking strength, wound contraction, dry granulation tissue weight and hydroxyproline levels. A significant decrease in epithelization period was also observed. The histopathological examination of granulation tissue showed much advanced phase of healing, with more collagen, which has organized to form bundles.

CONCLUSION: The results of the study suggest that the crude bark extract of Jatropha curcas was very effective in accelerating wound healing process.