title: Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the Althaea officinalis L. leaf extract and its wound healing potency in the rat model of excision wound creation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Wound is defined simply as the disruption of the biochemical, cellular, and anatomic continuity of a tissue. Plants and their extracts known as phytomedicine have immense potential for the management and treatment of wounds.
  
  
  METHODS
  Due to the undesirable side effects, in the control and treatment of the wound infections, it is recommended to use natural materials such as phytochemicals instead of chemically synthesized drugs. Thus, the aim of this research was to study the anti-microbial and wound healing potential of Althaea officinalis L. hydroalchoholic extract in comparison with ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and penicillin antibiotics on clinical strains as well as pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes under in vitro conditions using micro broth dilution and disc diffusion methods. Moreover, MIC and MBC of its hydroalchoholic extract was also evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that although Althaea officinalis L. extract was not effective on gram-negative bacteria but it was efficacious on gram-positive bacteria. The extract was also tested in the form of topical administration on excision wound model in rats. In the extract-treated wounds, the wound healing percent was significantly increased in comparison with controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on this research, herbal extract of officinalis L. can be a great candidate for the treatment of gram-positive infections and merits further studies.
authors.affiliation: Researcher, Razi Herbal Medicines Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khoramabad, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rezaei
authors.affiliation: Researcher, Razi Herbal Medicines Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khoramabad, Iran.
authors.forename: Zeynab
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dadgar
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Noori-Zadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyed Alireza
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mesbah-Namin
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
authors.forename: Iraj
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pakzad
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Davodian
keywords: Althaea officinalis; Antibacterial; Phytochemicals; Wound healing