Abstract :

Treating wounds inform highest proportion in public health care budget. Both Artemisia jordanica (Aj) and Achillea fragrantissima (Af) are medicinal plants that still used to treat wounds by healers. Present work was designed to study the wound healing activity of aqueous extracts of Aj and Af, singular and combination. Healing activity followed through excision, incision, and burn wound models. Animals were divided into eight groups (n = 8), each group was divided into two sub-groups (n = 4), one for incision and the second for both excision and burn models. Groups were treated with both 5% and 10% w/w doses of single and combination. Betadine and petroleum gel were used as positive and negative control, respectively. Wound contraction rate, tensile strength, period of epithelization and histological transformations were used to evaluate healing potential activity. Wound healing activity of 10% Aj-Af has shown a worthy attainment which has evidenced by inducement of tensile strength on the 22.1 day post-treatment compared with positive control (21.8 day). The wound contraction rate was occurred on the 17.4 post-treatment (p < 0.05) compared with positive and negative control, 18.5 and 24.5 days respectively. Histological observation indicated that the wounds treated with 10% Aj-Af have showed thickening of epidermis and formation of granulation tissue with more prominent collagenation and blood vessels formation. Singular and combined aqueous extracts of Aj and Af exhibited good healing activities compared both controls. Moreover, healing potential activity of combined extract (mainly 10%) revealed better marginal healing activity regarding single-herb use.