Pharmacological Screening for Burn Wound Healing Potential of Traditional Plant Cassia fistulia in Rats

Abstract

Skin is a vital organ which performs several functions such as thermoregulation, homeostasis, metabolic, neurosensory and immunologic functions. Burns, with their devastating consequences, are known as one of the most common forms of injury. Herbal products could be extensively preferable for treating many ailments due to their widespread accessibility and the vast experiential data retrieved from traditional medicine. Cassia fistula has been traditionally used to treat skin disorders and injuries. In the present study, the healing effect of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of leaves of Cassia fistula has been evaluated in second-degree burn wound in rats. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannins, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, steroids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, saponins, and phenols as phytoconstituents. From day 4 to day 21, both aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Cassia fistula leaves were observed to have a significant effect during treatment and also the test drugs were found to play a role in accelerating the rate of epithelialization. Cell viability in both cell lines was significantly decreased when compared to the control cells. The hydroxyproline level was found to be substantially elevated in aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Cassia fistula leaves treated groups. The efficacy of Cassia fistula leaves in improving wound healing was also discovered by histopathological analysis of the cream-treated rat wound tissues.