Preparation and evaluation of burn wound healing potential of methanolic extract of Leptadenia reticulata based ointment in wistar rats

This study was aimed at evaluating the healing effect of the leaves of Leptadenia reticulata formulated as ointment, on burn wounds inoculated with microorganisms isolated from burn patients. Test organisms were isolated from burn patients in National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu, Nigeria after approval from the Hospital’s Ethics Committee and identified morphologically and phenotypically using standard biochemical analysis. The leaves of Leptadenia reticulata were subjected to extraction by cold maceration using 95 % methanol. The crude extract was subjected to phytochemical analysis, and also formulated into ointments of varying concentrations which were used to screen for wound healing activities utilizing burn wound model on Wistar albino rats. The animals were divided into four groups (n = 6) and each group challenged with three identified organisms on different sites. Group I received 10 % ointment, group II received 5 % ointment, group III served as the standard and received burn cream (sulphadiazine cream) and group IV served as the negative control receiving plain ointment base. The treatment was continued for 16 days and wound size was measured daily. The 10 % extract ointment had a greater burn wound healing activity than the 5 % extract concentration and standard drug used against burn wounds challenged with Pseudomonas spp and Proteus spp. It had similar effect as silver sulfadiazine on burn wounds challenged with Staphylococcus spp.. Therefore, this study suggested that topical application of methanolic extract of Leptadenia reticulata as 10 % ointment will play an important role in burn wound healing. The study also revealed that its leaves contain bioactive phytochemical constituents that have burn wound healing activity. Keywords: Leptadenia reticulata, wound healing, wound infections, burn wound, silver sulfadiazine