title: Ethanolic extract of sharah, Plectranthus aegyptiacus, enhances healing of skin wound in rats.
abstract: Sharah, Plectranthus aegyptiacus (Forssk.) C. Chr. is a common native plant in the Taif region of Saudi Arabia. An ethanolic extract of freeze dried sharah leaves was added as 10% (w/w) to an ointment base of beeswax and sesame oil. The resultant ointment was examined as a potential enhancer of wound healing. Excision wounds in the nape region of the skin were induced in sixty albino Wistar rats. Animals were allocated in 4 groups (n=15) and kept individually in clean cages. The first group served as negative untreated controls without medication; the second group was treated with ointment base (vehicle); the third group represented the positive control and was treated with a reference ointment and the fourth one served as the experimental group and received the test plant extract (as ointment). Animal groups received the respective medications for 14 successive days. Wounds were measured and photographed every 3 days till the end of the experiment (day 21) in order to determine the wound closure rate (WCR). Specimens from wounds and surrounding skin were collected from sacrificed animals for histological and molecular studies. Both morphometric (based on WCR) and histological findings showed that the healing in animals treated with the sharah plant extract was better than those in control group or vehicle-treated group and was similar to that in the group that received the reference ointment. Moreover, the molecular findings concerning the expression levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor (c-Met) displayed a reasonable healing enhancing effect of the plant extract with the expression levels of both being higher in the extract-treated group than in the control group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia; Department of Cytology and Histology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alkafafy
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia; Department of Zoology, College of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Metwally
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montaser
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia; Department of Biochemistry, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Samir A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: El-Shazly
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, College of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Saleh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bazid
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia; Department of Biochemistry, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Egypt. Electronic address: m_m_ahmed2000@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mohamed M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ahmed
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol; D005260:Female; D009824:Ointments; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D031346:Plectranthus; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000293:injuries; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D009824:Ointments; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Healing enhancers; Hepatocyte growth factor; Histological characteristics; Morphometry; Plectranthus aegyptiacus; Wound