Wound healing and anti-inflammatory activities of Ceiba pentendra (l.) Gaertn

Traditionally, morphological parts of Ceiba pentandra have been reported as remedies against numerous diseases. On this basis, the wound healing and anti-inflammatory effects of the extract and fractions of Ceiba pentendra was investigated. Preliminary qualitative phytochemical screening test was performed using HPLC fingerprint analysis. The extract (CPE) and fractions of graded solvent polarity: n-hexane (HXCP), ethylacetate (EACP) and Butanol (BNCP) were investigated for wound-healing potentials, using excision and incision models. Acute and chronic anti-inflammatory properties of C. pentendra were investigated using paw edema and cotton pellet models of inflammation in rats, respectively. HPLC fingerprint analysis revealed the presence of Quercitrin, Apigenin and Catechin phytoconstituents. All the solvent fractions exhibited significant (p<0.05) higher rate of wound healing, contraction and epithelialization, with HXCP-30% fraction being the most active, with total wound healing occurring at the 16th day (100%). The wound breaking strength was significantly greater in groups treated with fractions HXCP-30% and BNCP-30%. In the cotton-pellets studies, the granuloma tissues formed in the extract treated groups were lower than those of the negative control. The result was significant (p<0.05) with CPE at 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg. In the paw edema studies, the extracts showed significant anti-inflammatory activities after 2 h with maximum percentage inhibition of 60.00% seen at the sixth hour at 400 mg CPE/kg dose level. The extract and fractions of Ceiba pentendra showed significant wound healing, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities which are relevant in explaining the traditional use of the plant in the treatment of wounds.