Wound-healing property of Momordica charantia L. fruit powder

• Published in: Journal of herbal pharmacotherapy Vol. 6; no. 3-4; p. 105
• Main Authors: Prasad, Vure, Jain, Vikas, Girish, Dugapati, Dorle, Avinash Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 2006
• Subjects: Administration, Topical; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Fruit - chemistry; India; Male; Momordica charantia - chemistry; Ointment Bases - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Tensile Strength; Wound Healing - drug effects; Wounds and Injuries - drug therapy; India
• ISSN: 1522-8940
• DOI: 10.1080/J157v06n03_05

Momordica charantia Linn. fruit powder, in the form of an ointment (10% w/w dried powder in simple ointment base), was evaluated for wound-healing potential in an excision, incision and dead space wound model in rats. The rats were divided into three groups of control, treatment and reference in all three wound models, each group consisting of six rats. Wound-contraction ability in excision wound mode was measured at different time intervals on days 4, 8, 10, 12 and 14 , and the study was continued until the wound had completely healed. Tensile strength was measured in 10-day-old incision and granuloma wound. Histological studies were performed on 10-day-old sections of regenerated tissue. Powder ointment showed a statistically significant response (P < 0.01), in terms of wound-contracting ability, wound closure time, period of epithelization, tensile strength of the wound and regeneration of tissues at wound site when compared with the control group, and these results were comparable to those of a reference drug povidone iodine ointment.