Abstract:
Background: Wounds significantly affect people's quality of life, clinical, and financial burden
on healthcare systems around the world. Many of the current drugs used to treat wounds have
problems such as; allergies and drug resistance. Leaves of Clerodendrum myricoides have long
been used to treat wounds in Ethiopia. Despite this, based on our literature review there are no
scientific studies on the effectiveness of this plant in treating wounds and inflammation. This
study aimed to evaluate the wound healing and anti-inflammatory activity of 80%
hydrometanolic extract and solvent fractions of Clerodendrum myricoides leaves in mice
Methods: The leaves of Clerodendrum myricoides were extracted with three consecutive
macerations of 80% hydrometanolic solvent. Parts of the extract were fractionated by n-hexane,
ethyl acetate, and water. The excision, incision, and burn wound models were used to evaluate
wound healing activity. Carrageenan induced paw edema model was used for the antiinflammatory study of crude extract.
Result: A limit dose of 2000 mg/kg of 10% extract did not show any sign of dermal toxicity. In
the excision wound model, Treatment with 10% and 5% extract showed significant (p<0.001)
wound contraction starting from day 4 and day 6, respectively. In addition, 10% extract
significantly (p<0.001) reduced the epithelialization period. Similarly, in the burn wound model,
10% (p<0.001) and 5% (p<0.01) extract showed significant wound contraction starting from
days 8 and 10, respectively. The epithelialization period of the burn wound was significantly
decreased by 10% (p<0.001) and 5% (p<0.05) extract. In incision wounds, 10% (p<0.001) and
5% (p<0.01) extract significantly increase skin-breaking strength. In burn and excision wounds,
the 10% extract-treated group showed higher collagen density and fibroblast proliferation. In
solvent fraction, 10% aqueous fraction showed a significant (p<0.01) wound contraction effect
beginning on day 4 and a decreased (p<0.001) period of epithelialization. Extracts containing
400 mg/kg (p<0.001) and 200 mg/kg (p<0.05) showed significant reduction in paw edema begins
from one hour.
Conclusion: Results of this study indicate 80% hydrometanolic extract and aqueous solvent
fraction of the leaves of Clerodendrum Myricoides possess wound-healing and antiinflammatory activity and support traditional claims.
