Wound Healing Potential of the Leaf of Microdesmis puberula Hook.F. ex. Planch. (Pandaceae)

Abstract

Microdesmis puberula Hook. f. ex Planch. is used traditionally for the management of burns and wounds. This study evaluated the wound-healing potential of the methanol leaf extract and solvent fractions of M. puberula using an excision wound model in experimental animals. The dried leaves were extracted with methanol, and the crude extract was partitioned into n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions. Ointment formulations of the crude extract and fractions were prepared and applied topically once daily to excision wounds. Wound contraction and epithelialisation period were assessed, while histopathological and histochemical examinations were used to evaluate tissue repair, re-epithelialisation, angiogenesis and reticulin fibre expression. The methanol extract formulations produced greater wound contraction than the untreated and ointment-base control groups. On day 20, the penicillin ointment group showed complete wound closure, while 5 % and 2 % crude extract ointments produced 94 % and 93 % wound contraction, respectively. Among the fractions, the dichloromethane fraction showed the highest activity, with 99.25 % wound contraction on day 20 and an epithelialisation period of 20.2 ± 0.02 days. Histological observations indicated improved granulation tissue formation, re-epithelialisation, angiogenesis and fibroblastic activity in treated groups compared with the negative controls. Histochemical staining further showed increased reticulin fibre expression in treated tissues. GC-MS analysis of the n-hexane fraction revealed several phytoconstituents, including phytol, squalene and vitamin E-related compounds. Stigmasterol was isolated from the dichloromethane fraction and characterised using spectroscopic methods. These findings support the wound-healing potential of M. puberula leaves under the experimental conditions used.