The healing effect of celosia argentea leaf extract on burn wounds: an in vivo and in vitro evaluation

Introduction: Celosia argentea (Amaranthaceae; CA), is applied for the management of several conditions including, wounds, haemorrhagic conditions, and gynaecological diseases. Alcoholic and ethyl acetate extracts of the CA leaves, as an ointment formulation (10% w/w), were assessed for the healing efficacy on rat burn wound models and was compared with silver sulfadiazine and in vitro cytoxicity was assessed. Results: The topical treatment with the ointment formulation of CA extracts demonstrated early wound closure in the rats as compared with silver sulfadiazine and control group (21 days vs. 25 days vs. 30 days, respectively; P < 0.001). A considerable rise in the content of hexosamine and collagen was observed in the CA fraction applied wounds compared to silver sulfadiazine and control (P < 0.05; P < 0.0001). Cellular basis of the effect was confirmed by evaluating proliferation of cells and by measuring motility of cells in fibroblasts and keratinocytes cell lines. The data indicated that the extract was well-tolerated without any toxicity at strength of < 30 μg/ml in keratinocytes and < 3 μg/ml in fibroblasts (P < 0.05). The CA extract encouraged cellular growth and motility of dermal fibroblast at the concentrations of 0.1-1.0 μg/ml. Conclusion: The present study provides a rational pharmacological evidence for the use of CA extract on burn wound healing. This study for the first time compared the healing effect of the CA extract with the marketed formulation, silver sulfadiazine, and the results demonstrated that the herbal extract is more beneficial than the synthetic formulation.