Ethanolic extract of oral Areca catechu promotes burn wound healing in rats

Areca nut (Areca catechu Linn.) is one of the commonly used Indian traditional medicines for skin ulcers. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of oral Areca catechu extract on burn wound model in rats. To evaluate the burn wound healing activity of orally administered ethanolic extract of Areca catechu kernel in normal as well as dexamethasone treated rats. An oral formulation of ethanolic extract of Areca catechu was prepared using gum acacia. Rats with burn wound model received either vehicle (gum acacia, oral), standard drug (silver sulfadiazine, topical) or test drug (100 mg and 300 mg/kg extract, oral). Three other groups were treated with dexamethasone intramuscularly to delay wound healing process. The dexamethasone treated groups received either vehicle (gum acacia, oral) or test drug (100mg and 300mg/kg, oral). Parameters observed were wound contraction rate and period of epithelialization. Areca catechu has shown significant enhancement of wound contraction rate in all the days compared to control. Period of epithelialization was hastened in the drug treated groups. Dexamethasone suppressed wound contraction rate and epithelialization period were reversed significantly by oral Areca catechu. In this study, Areca catechu has shown the burn wound healing activity as well as reversed the dexamethasone suppressed wound healing.