CUTANEOUS WOUND HEALING BY VERNONIA ARBOREA EXTRACTS IN ADULT ZEBRAFISH MODEL

Cutaneous wound healing starts with an acute inflammatory phase marked by secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators that enhance infiltration of leukocytes with a peak in the first 24 to 48 h. This resolves to enable the continuation of other phases in series, namely, the proliferative, re-epithelialization, vascularisation, and tissue remodelling phases. The study uses a mechanical device, for the first time, to create a mechanical cutaneous wound in adult Zebrafish to simulate mammalian cutaneous wound. Topical application of 0.5% ointment of a fraction from hexane leaf extract of Vernonia arborea, accelerated wound healing in the developed model. The phytocompound in the fraction modulates the inflammation kinetics, increasing initial inflammation at 24 hrs by expediting neutrophil infiltration, three folds more than the untreated model. The resolution of inflammation was rapid in the experimental group after 3 dpw compared to the untreated control resulting in speedy proliferation and migration of keratinocytes and three times faster wound closure, measuring up to 92.3% as compared to 95.3% in the positive control group. The fraction also exhibited an anti-oxidant role and prevented the oxidative damage of wound tissue, with 30-40% higher granulation tissue weight than the povidone-iodine standard treatment. The extracellular matrix formation was found to be enhanced, marked by a two-fold increase in the expression of tissue markers like hexuronic acid, hydroxyproline, and hexosamine. The results were analogous to the wound healing process in mammals, making the phytocompound a potent topical wound-healing agent that may be tested in preclinical and clinical trials.