Wound Healing Potential of Couroupita guianensis Aubl. Fruit Pulp Investigated on Excision Wound Model

Wound care management aims at stimulating and improving healing process without scar formation. Although various plants have been reported to possess wound healing properties in tribal and folklore medicines, there is a lack of scientific data to validate the claim. In this aspect, it becomes inevitable to prove the efficacy of naturally derived products at pharmacological levels. Couroupita guianensis as a whole plant has been reported to exhibit wound healing activity. The leaves and fruit of this plant have been utilized in folkloric medicine to cure skin diseases and infections for many years. However, to the best of our knowledge, no scientific studies have been conducted to verify the wound healing properties of C. guianensis fruit pulp. Therefore, the present study seeks to investigate the wound healing potential of C. guianensis fruit pulp using an excision wound model in Wistar albino male rats. This study indicated that the ointment prepared from crude ethanolic extract of C. guianensis fruit pulp facilitated wound contraction that were evidenced by a greater reduction in the wound area and epithelialization period and increased hydroxyproline content. The experimental groups treated with low and mid dose of C. guianensis ethanol extract (CGEE) ointments had shown a wound closure of 80.27% and 89.11% respectively within 15 days, which is comparable to the standard betadine ointment which showed 91.44% healing in the treated groups. Further, the extract influenced the expression of genes VEGF and TGF-beta on post wounding days that clearly explained the strong correlation between these genes and wound healing in the experimental rats. The animals treated with 10% CGEE ointment showed a significant upregulation of both VEGF and TGF-beta as compared with other test and standard groups. These findings provide credence to the conventional application of this plant in the healing of wounds and other dermatological conditions, and may represent a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of wounds.

Automated summary

This study investigated the wound healing potential of Couroupita guianensis fruit pulp in rats. The results showed that the ointment prepared from the extract of C. guianensis fruit pulp promoted wound contraction, reduced the wound area, shortened the epithelialization period, and increased hydroxyproline content. The study also found that the extract influenced the expression of VEGF and TGF-beta genes, which are associated with wound healing. These findings provide scientific evidence for the traditional use of this plant in wound healing and suggest its potential as a therapeutic strategy.