Phytochemical Constituents and Wound Healing Activity of the Essential Oil from the n-Hexane Leaf Fraction of Microdesmis puberula ex. F. Planch. (Pandaceae)

Abstract

Background: A wound is a form of tissue injury that develops rapidly when the skin is cut, torn or punctured, resulting in an open wound, or when blunt force causes damage beneath the skin, leading to a closed wound such as a contusion. The leaf sap of Microdesmis puberula Hook. f. ex Planch. (Pandaceae) is applied to snakebites or to scarifications in folklore medicine. Aim: This study evaluated the chemical constituents and wound-healing potential of the essential oil extracted from the leaves of M. puberula. Methodology: The methods used included vacuum liquid chromatography, GC-MS, an excision wound model, histopathology and histochemistry. The percentage of wound healing and the epithelisation period were measured and analysed for statistical significance using SPSS. Results: GC-MS analysis of the essential oil identified ten phytoconstituents, including hexanal (53.329 %), tetracosanedoic acid (12.651 %), cyclobutanol (8.096 %), (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal (4.394 %), trans-β-ocimene (3.711 %), 4-hydroxy-3-methyl butanal (3.656 %), octadecanoic acid (3.653 %), (E))-3(10)-caren-4-ol (3.612 %), hexan-2-yl (E)-2-methylbut-2-enoate (3.449 %) and 10-butyl-10-propyl-eicosane. Topical application of oil ointment formulations of M. puberula leaf (2 and 5 % w/w) on excision wounds in the experimental animals induced significantly greater (p < 0.05) wound contraction and shorter epithelisation periods compared with the negative control groups (blank and untreated). Histopathological and histochemical investigations revealed that the oil formulations improved healing through re-epithelialisation, collagen formation and angiogenesis. Conclusion: The findings support the traditional use of M. puberula leaf in wound management, as the oil ointment formulations reduced wound-healing time and improved histological features associated with tissue repair, without observed dermal toxicity within the conditions of this study.