Chemical Profile of the Pits Oil from the Tunisian 'Alig' Cultivar of Phoenix dactylifera L.: In Vivo Wound Healing Potential Evaluation of a Cream Formulated from the Extracted Oil and Insights from Molecular Docking and SAR Analysis

Since ancient times the oil from date palm pits (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has been used to heal wounds. In order to prove this traditional usage of the pits, this oil was extracted from the pits of the Tunisian cultivar 'Alig' and its physico-chemical properties and the chemical composition were evaluated. The fatty acid profile, evidenced by GC, allowed to classify this oil as an oleic-myristic acid oil with a clear abundance of oleic acid (53.66 %). H-1 and C-13-NMR as well as FT-IR analyses confirmed the presence of fatty acids in triglyceride forms. Furthermore, in vivo wound healing activity of a cream formulated from the extracted oil was performed, for the first time, using a rat model and was compared to placebo cream and a commercial formulation, MEBO (R). This study showed that the test cream promoted the healing of pressure ulcers better than the placebo cream and the MEBO (R) ointment. The results showed that this vegetable oil is able to improve the healing of infected wounds in rats, thus supporting its traditional use. The contribution of the main oleic, linoleic and myristic acids that can be derived from enzymatic hydrolysis to the healing activity of the whole pits oil was predicted by in silico study and the calculated pharmacokinetics parameters.

Automated summary

The oil from date palm pits has been traditionally used for wound healing purposes. In this study, the oil extracted from Tunisian date palm pits was evaluated for its physico-chemical properties and chemical composition. It was found to be primarily composed of oleic acid and myristic acid. The in vivo study on rats demonstrated that a cream formulated from the extracted oil significantly improved the healing of pressure ulcers compared to placebo cream and a commercial formulation. The findings support the traditional use of this vegetable oil in wound healing.