Study on the effect of Peganum harmala extract on experimental skin wound healing in rat: pathological and biomechanical findings

• DOI: 10.1007/s00580-009-0848-1
• Publication Date: 2009-04-28T11:57:29Z
• Authors: A. Derakhshanfar; M. M. Oloumi; M. Mirzaie
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; 3. Good health

This study was designed to evaluate the role of Peganum harmala extract on experimental skin wound healing. The investigation was carried out on 30 male Sprague-Dawley rats in the same conditions. Two uniform 7-mm diameter skin defect were created on the back of each animal by skin punch (total of 60 wounds). The extract was then applied once daily on half of the wounds. The animals were sacrificed on day 10 for histopathologic and biomechanical examinations. P. harmala extract significantly increased the number of fibroblasts and capillary buds and also decreased the epithelial gap which showed the better healing in treatment group. On the other hand, the improvement of biomechanical indices in treatment group revealed a significant increase in tensile strength of the wounds. It can be concluded that P. harmala is an effective herbal remedy in wound healing