Chemical profiling of Curatella americana Linn leaves by UPLC-HRMS and its wound healing activity in mice

PLoS One. 2020 Jan 13;15(1):e0225514. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225514. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Based on ethnopharmacological studies, a lot of plants, as well as its compounds, have been investigated for the potential use as wound healing agents. In Brazil, Curatella americana is traditionally used by local people to treat wounds, ulcers and inflammations. However, to the best of our knowledge, its traditional use in the treatment of wounds has not been validated by a scientific study. Here, some compounds, many of them flavonoids, were identified in the hydroethanolic extract from the leaves of C. americana (HECA) by LC-HRMS and LC-MS/MS. Besides that, solutions containing different concentrations of HECA and a gel produced with this extract were evaluated for its antimicrobial, coagulant and wound healing activities on an excision mouse wound model as well as its acute dermal safety. A total of thirteen compounds were identified in HECA, mainly quercetin, kaempferol and glucoside derivatives of both, besides catechin and epicatechin known as wound healing agents. The group treated with 1% of HECA exhibited highest wound healing activity and best rate of wound contraction confirmed by histopathology results. The present study provides scientific evidence of, this extract (HECA) possess remarkable wound healing activity, thereby, supporting the traditional use.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Infective Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Infective Agents / pharmacology
  • Brazil
  • Catechin / isolation & purification
  • Chromatography, Liquid
  • Dilleniaceae / chemistry*
  • Flavonoids / chemistry
  • Flavonoids / pharmacology
  • Glucosides / chemistry
  • Glucosides / isolation & purification
  • Humans
  • Kaempferols / chemistry
  • Kaempferols / isolation & purification
  • Mice
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry
  • Quercetin / chemistry
  • Quercetin / isolation & purification
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry
  • Wound Healing / drug effects*

Substances

  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Flavonoids
  • Glucosides
  • Kaempferols
  • Plant Extracts
  • kaempferol
  • Catechin
  • Quercetin

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Postgraduate Program of Pharmaceutical Innovation. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.