A Comparative Study of Dichloromethane and Ethyl Acetate Root Extracts of Celosia trigyna: Phytochemical and Wound Healing Effect Analyses

Background: Celosia species have been validated to possess antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant potential. This study was thus designed to comparatively determine the effect of dichloromethane and ethyl acetate root extracts of Celosia trigyna on Wistar rat wounds created by 8 mm biopsy punches. Methods: Phytochemical screening was performed on dichloromethane and ethyl acetate root extracts of C. trigyna. For animal studies, 25 adult female Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (group A-E; n=5). Group A served as the negative control, group B as a positive control, group C received dichloromethane extract (once/day), group D ethyl acetate extract (once/day), and group E was the vehicle control. All extracts and medication were administered topically. Wound area, wound contraction, period of epithelialization, macroscopic analysis, and histological examination were studied. Results: Phytochemical screening showed that saponins and terpenoids were particularly high in dichloromethane extracts while ethyl acetate extracts were highly rich in terpenoids. The results of wound areas, wound contraction, periods of epithelialization, and macroscopic and histological analyses showed that dichloromethane extract, ethyl acetate extract, and penicillin-treated groups showed better remediation re-spectively in order of efficacy compared to the negative and vehicle control groups. The histological examination revealed an evidence of tissue regeneration and collagen deposition in the extract-treated groups compared to the positive, negative, and vehicle control groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, both extracts of C. trigyna have a better healing potential compared to penicillin treatment with dichloromethane extract having a better wound healing potential than the ethyl acetate extract.