Wound Healing and Antimicrobial Activity of Vernonia arborea Buch Ham in Acute Cutaneous Wound Model of Adult Zebrafish

Abstract

newlineManagement of wounds and healing under impaired conditions are the major challenges faced globally by healthcare workers Wound infection a factor in delayed healing was addressed here Agents including phytocompounds which are antimicrobial and capable of modulating inflammation can accelerate overall wound healing to regain the lost structure and function An acute cutaneous zebra fish in vivo wound model was validated to simulate mammalian pathophysiology of wound healing Wound healing and antimicrobial properties of Vernonia arborea belonging to Asteraceae was investigated in this model for the first time Four fractions were active in vitro against five selected wound microbes and fraction 10 reduced ex vivo CFU 96 percentage in the infected wound impaired condition tissue demonstrating that it is antimicrobial Wound healing potency using histopathological biochemical and molecular methods was demonstrated in at least 2 of the four selected fractions F10 and F30 Fraction 10 modulated onset and resolution of inflammation significantly neutrophil infiltration even in wounds infected by the polymicrobial community with concomitant reduction in myeloperoxidase levels infection marker F10 also prevented tissue damage by reducing oxidative stress augmented the synthesis of connective tissue components during healing with better wound contraction 92 percentage and reepithelialisation than the positive control Expression of pro inflammatory cytokines IL 6 and TNF and#945; were down regulated while up regulating anti inflammatory cytokine IL 10 and nitric oxide signalling with 4 fold increase in iNOS expression in the treated infected wounds of zebrafish The adult zebrafish wound model could well serve as a standard tool for assessing phytoextracts such as V arborea for wound healing and antimicrobial properties