Abstract
Huernia Sp. Nov. aff. Boleana, Apocynaceae, grows in the high mountains of southwest Saudi Arabia and is widely used as a remedy for the treatment of diabetes. The present study investigated the anti-inflammatory, wound healing and inhibitory effects on migration of Huernia Sp. Nov. aff. Boleana. The anti-inflammatory effect was assessed in mice using formalin-induced edema. Wound healing effects were assessed in rats using a circular excision wound model. An in vitro scratch' test was used to investigate the inhibitory effects on melanoma cell (B16-F10) migration. The anti-inflammatory effects of total extract, hexane and chloroform fractions were greater or equal to indomethacin (control). The relatively non-polar fractions (hexane and chloroform) exhibited higher anti-inflammatory activities compared with the aqueous fraction. The percentage of wound contraction among animals treated with the plant extract was higher compared with the control; however, this difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The total plant extract increased wound healing by inhibiting the inflammatory response, promoting angiogenesis, and significantly promoting the proliferation of fibroblasts, particularly on days 7 and 14 post-wounding. Furthermore, the plant extract promoted wound repair via the enhancement of collagen synthesis, and complete epithelization with well-formed and differentiated epithelial tissues. The in vitro scratch' test indicated the inhibitory effects of this plant on melanoma cell migration in a dose-dependent manner. The present study indicated that Huernia Sp. Nov. aff. Boleana may have potential as an anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and migration-inhibiting ethno medicine.