Effects of Echinacea purpurea herbal extract versus Zinc oxide in rat skin wound healing model, histometric and histopathologic study

Nowadays, the promotion of wound healing in some diseases and chronic disorders with the aid of herbal extracts is more challenging than ever before. That is why new compounds prepared for this purpose have been widely accepted. Echinacea purpurea has shown anti-inflammatory, immune stimulatory, fibroblastocyte stimulatory as well as anti-hyaluronidase and anti-microbial effects; therefore, it must hasten wound healing. The aim of this work was to evaluate histometrically and histopathologically the ability of dried extract ointment of Echinacea purpurea in enhancing the healing process and in reducing phlogosis of full thickness excisional skin wound in rats following topical application, compared with zinc oxide ointment by the same vehicle of eucerin. Under surgical anaesthesia, four full-thickness similar excisional wounds were made on the back of 70 rats by punching that divided into 5 groups of Echinacea purpurea 20% and 10% ointment, zinc oxide ointment, eucerin, and control. A double-blind method was employed throughout the study. All the cases were treated with topical ointments daily for 21 days. Healing process of the wounds were daily quantified and compared using digital photography and image analysis software. Histopathologic examination was performed in the 0th, 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 21st days and the wound healing was scored using healing grades I to VI regard to the wound healing parameters such as oedema & phlogistic process, congestion & haemorrhage, fibroplasia, epithelium regeneration, wound contraction, Collagen deposition and granulation tissue maturation. The overall outcome of the wound recovery for each individual group was calculated, and the results were put under a series of statistical analysis through SPSS. According to the histometric findings, the skin contraction rate in Echinacea purpurea 10% group (group II) on treatment period was much higher than that in the other groups. Also, histopathologic results revealed that overall healing rate in the group II in the second and third weeks was higher than that in the other groups (P < 0.01). Echinacea purpurea could be a new promising therapeutic approach to improve skin wound healing because of its potential anti-inflammatory and wound healing stimulatory effects.