Wound healing activities of standardized pomegranate rind extract and its major antioxidant ellagic acid in rat dermal wounds

• DOI: 10.1007/s11418-013-0813-9
• Publication Date: 2014-01-09T07:19:37Z
• Authors: Jiao Mo; Pharkphoom Panich...; Nattha Kaewnopparat; Anupong Nitiruang...; Wantana Reanmongkol
• Keywords: Lythraceae; Male; Wound Healing; 0303 health sciences; Plant Extracts; Dermis; Antioxidants; Rats; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Ellagic Acid; Animals; Rats, Wistar

The in vivo wound healing potential of a standardized pomegranate rind extract (SPRE) and its major antioxidant constituent, ellagic acid (EA, 13 %, w/w), were investigated in three rat dermal wound models. It was found that both SPRE (5 and 2.5 %) and its equivalent amount of EA (0.65 and 0.325 %) increased the tensile strength of the incision wound by a maximum of 35.43 and 31.82 %, respectively. SPRE at 5 and 2.5 % accelerated wound contraction of the excision wound and the burn wound, while EA was effective only at 0.65 % in these two wound models. Further assays revealed that SPRE enhanced the synthesis of collagen by a maximum of 21.83 mg/g and inhibited neutrophil infiltration dose-dependently, while EA was not effective in increasing collagen accumulation and its inhibitory effect on neutrophil infiltration was milder. These results indicated that SPRE is a promising phytopharmaceutical effective in facilitating the healing of wounds and is superior to its marker compound EA.