Synergistic Efficacy of Polyherbal Ethanol Ointment Formulated from Chromolaena odorata, Anacardium occidentale, and Phyllanthus amarus in Accelerating Wound Healing and Hematological Recovery in Albino Rats
Chibuzor Onyinye Okonkwo1*, Gregory Elayeche Oko1, Nelson Bikom Oyong1, Sunday Nnamdi Okonkwo2, Chizuruoke Oluomachi Chukwu3, David-Oku Essien1
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Calabar, Nigeria.
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Calabar, Teaching Hospital Calabar, Nigeria.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Abia State University, Uturu, Abia State.
| Key words:
Chromolaena odorata; Anacardium occidentale, Phyllanthus amarus, wound contraction, polyherbal ointment, hematological indices.
*Corresponding author: oko210@unical.edu.ng; Page No: 314-325 |
AbstractWound management remains a significant global challenge, particularly in low-resource settings where access to synthetic drugs is limited. This study investigated the wound healing and hematological effects of a polyherbal ointment formulated from ethanolic leaf extracts of Chromolaena odorata, Anacardium occidentale and Phyllanthus amarus. The extracts were prepared by maceration in 90% ethanol, combined in equal ratios (ABC), and incorporated into a polyethylene glycol base. Wound healing efficacy was evaluated in an excision wound model using thirty male albino rats treated topically with 50 mg/kg of each formulation for twenty days. Wound contraction, serum protein and hematological indices were analyzed. The combined extract (ABC) produced the highest wound contraction with values of 48.04 ± 1.42% on day four and 98.60 ± 0.10% on day twenty, which was comparable to gentamicin (98.93 ± 0.10%) and significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the control group. Platelet counts increased from 289.10 ± 0.57 to 490.16 ± 22.95 × 10³/μL, while neutrophil and lymphocyte concentration rose to 10.12 ± 0.28% and 15.70 ± 0.08%, respectively. Serum protein decreased from 13.64 ± 0.83 to 11.56 ± 0.83 g/dL, suggesting active protein utilization during collagen synthesis. The findings indicate that the combined extract promotes effective wound repair, enhanced immune response and rapid epithelialization, validating its therapeutic potential in topical wound management.
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