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. 2020 Dec 10;9(12):1744.
doi: 10.3390/plants9121744.

Phytochemical Profile, Safety Assessment and Wound Healing Activity of Artemisia absinthium L

Amel Boudjelal  1 , Antonella Smeriglio  2 , Giovanna Ginestra  2 , Marcella Denaro  2 , Domenico Trombetta  2
Affiliations

Phytochemical Profile, Safety Assessment and Wound Healing Activity of Artemisia absinthium L

Amel Boudjelal et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

The aim of study was to validate, by in vitro and in vivo studies, the traditional use for wound-healing activity of Artemisia absinthium L. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and electrospray ion trap mass spectrometry (RP-LC-DAD-ESI-MS) analysis allowed to identify eleven polyphenols with chlorogenic acid as the most abundant compound (3.75 g/100 g of dry extract). After that, antibacterial activity as well as acute dermal and oral toxicity were assessed in animal models. In order to investigate the wound-healing activity of A. absinthium methanol extract, two ointments were formulated (MEO 5% and 10%). The ointment with the highest concentration of plant extract (10%) showed a statistically significant effect on the rats wound contraction, similar to that exerted by the reference drug Cicatryl-Bio. Moreover, A. absinthium methanol extract showed the best antibacterial activity against the Gram-negative Escherichia coli ATCC 10536 (MIC 1.25-2.5 mg/mL) and the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 (0.31-0.625 mg/mL). The absence of oral and topical toxicity of the treated animals allowed to establish the safety of the ointments. Overall, data collected in the present study support and validate the use of A. absinthium as a wound healing agent in the Algerian traditional medicine.

Keywords: Artemisia absinthium L.; acute dermal toxicity; acute oral toxicity; antibacterial activity; polyphenols; wound healing activity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative LC-DAD chromatogram of methanol extract of aerial parts of A. absinthium acquired at 330 nm. Peak numbers refer to compounds listed in Table 2 according to their elution order.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Histopathological changes in liver and kidney of animals treated with A. absinthium methanol extract at different doses (magnification 10×). 1: Central vein; 2: Surrounding hepatocytes; 3: Glomerulus.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Histological evaluation of wound skin sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin (magnification 10×). Figure (a,b): Animals untreated (UT) and treated with petroleum jelly (PJ), respectively, showing fewer collagen fibers and plenty inflammatory cells. Figure (c–e): Animals treated with reference drug (CIC) and methanol extract ointments (MEO 5% and MEO 10% respectively) showing better healing with more collagen deposition and complete re-epithelialization.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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