Assessment of dermal wound healing and in vitro antioxidant properties of Avena sativa L.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2011.01.009Get rights and content

Abstract

Avena sativa L. (Poaceae) has been reported to have traditional utilization against skin diseases and inflammation. Therefore, in this study, the n-hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water extracts of A. sativa were investigated for their wound healing and antioxidant activities. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of the extracts were established spectrophotometrically. For the wound healing activity, linear incision and circular excision models on rats and mice were evaluated with a standard ointment Madecassol®. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferrous ion-chelating, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Significant wound healing activity was observed with the ointment formulation of the ethanol extract at 1% concentration. The histopathological examination results also supported the outcome of both linear incision and circular excision wound models. All of the extracts exerted low antioxidant activity in the applied assays. The present study provides a scientific evidence for the traditional usage of A. sativa in the management of wound healing.

Introduction

Avena sativa L. (Poaceae), known as “common oat”, is a cereal grain species used also as food. It has been cultivated in Anatolian peninsula since ancient times whose cultivation was recorded by the Greek scientist Galenus in the 17th century. The major cultivation area of oat is the Marmara region and internal Anatolia in Turkey. In some folk medicine systems belonging to different parts of the world, it has been reported to be used traditionally against some diseases. For instance; in the southern Appalachia region of the United States, A. sativa was recorded to have utilization against chickenpox, poison ivy, and other rashes externally (Cavender, 2006). In traditional medicine of Lebanon, its alcoholic macerate was reported to be used as antirheumatic and antineuralgic (El Beyrouthy et al., 2008). Ballabh et al. (2008) reported use of oat against kidney and urinary disorders in traditional medicine of clod desert Ladakh in the remotest region of the Indian subcontinent. Oat is an important crop plant containing high levels of proteins, lipids, vitamins, dietary fibers, and minerals as well as a food plant for both humans and animals (Gajdosova et al., 2007). A. sativa was reported to possess a variety of biological activities such as angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory (Cheung et al., 2009), anti-inflammatory and anti-itchy (Sur et al., 2008), anti-HIV (Shun et al., 2008), and cardioprotective activities (Ryan et al., 2007).

The aim of the present study was to investigate in vivo wound healing activity of A. sativa to clarify its traditional use in a scientific platform along with its in vitro antioxidant activity. The n-hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water extracts of the plant were tested in mice and rats for their wound healing activity using in vivo linear incision and circular excision wound models, which have been used together for confirmation of the wound healing activity. Additionally, antioxidant activity was conducted in the extracts to exploit its relation to wound healing activity. Antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined using three different in vitro methods; 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferrous ion-chelating, and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays at 250, 500, and 1000 μg/ml concentrations. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of the extracts were established spectrophotometrically by Folin–Ciocalteau and AlCl3 methods, respectively.

Section snippets

Plant material

Cultivated sample of A. sativa was obtained from the experimental farm of Selçuk University, in Konya province, Turkey, at the flowering stage in June, 2009.

Preparation of plant extracts

After the plant material was dried in shade at room temperature, it was weighed accurately (200 g) in a digital balancer (Mettler–Toledo) and powdered in a mechanical grinder. Then, the powdered material was subjected to successive extraction starting from n-hexane (2 L × 2), ethyl acetate (3 L × 2), ethanol (3 L × 2), and water (3 L × 1).

Results of wound healing activity

The wound healing activity of the n-hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water extracts of A. sativa was evaluated on rats and mice by linear incision and circular excision wound models to confirm the claimed folkloric usage of the plant on a scientific base. The histopathological changes formed by these extracts were also assessed. The results of the measurements of tensile strength were shown in Table 1. Tensile strength of the animals treated with the ethanol extract of the plant demonstrated

Discussion

Wound healing is a multifarious procedure that includes inflammation, granulation tissue formation, re-epithelialization, and matrix formation. Numerous studies have proved that oxidation reactions, frequently initiated by various unwanted radicals in biological systems, are associated with many pathophysiological conditions including inflammation and wound healing. In recent years, oxidative stress and free radicals have been implicated in impaired wound healing. Different mechanisms like free

Conclusion

Results of the present study have clearly demonstrated that the aerial parts of A. sativa possess wound healing potential which supports its traditional utilization in various folk medicines. In a reference survey, no reports relating to the wound healing activity of A. sativa extracts have been found so far. To the best of our knowledge, we herein report for the first time about wound healing activity and antioxidant activity by ferrous ion-chelating and ferric-reducing antioxidant power

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