The traditional Hungarian medicinal plant Centaurea sadleriana Janka accelerates wound healing in rats.
BACKGROUND
The aerial parts of Centaurea sadleriana Janka, a species native to Hungary, have been used for the healing of wounds of livestock in Hungarian folk medicine. This is the first report of the ethnomedicinal use of this plant.


OBJECTIVE
This study was aimed at investigating the wound-healing efficiency of different extracts of Centaurea sadleriana.


METHODS
Experimental wounds inflicted on healthy rats by means of a branding iron were treated topically with different extracts and fractions of extracts of the aerial parts of Centaurea sadleriana. To assess the effectiveness of treatment, an absolute control (no treatment), a vehicle control (Carbomer gel) and a positive control group (1% salicylic acid in Carbomer gel) were applied.


RESULTS
The n-hexane fraction of the methanol extract significantly accelerated the wound-healing process. This effect was rather similar to that of the positive control gel. Other fractions exhibited more moderate activities.


CONCLUSIONS
The apolar fraction of the methanol extract of Centaurea sadleriana facilitated wound healing significantly, corroborating the folk medicinal use of this plant.
Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Szeged, Eötvös u 6, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary. csupor.dezso@pharm.u-szeged.hu
Dezso
D
Csupor
Gábor
G
Blazsó
Agnes
A
Balogh
Judit
J
Hohmann
D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002056:Burns / Q000188:drug therapy; D031179:Centaurea; D005260:Female; D006814:Hungary; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012997:Solvents; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012997:Solvents