Planta Med 2008; 74(8): 809-815
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1074533
Pharmacology
Original Paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Madecassoside Isolated from Centella asiatica Herbs Facilitates Burn Wound Healing in Mice

Mei Liu1 , Yue Dai1 , Ying Li1 , Yubin Luo1 , Fang Huang1 , Zhunan Gong2 , Qingyu Meng3
  • 1Department of Pharmacology of China Materia Medica, China Pharmaceutical University, 1 Shennong Road, Nanjing, P. R. China
  • 2Center for New Drug Research & Development, College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, P. R. China
  • 3Hunan Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry Research, Changsha, P. R. China
Further Information

Publication History

Received: January 2, 2008 Revised: April 7, 2008

Accepted: April 7, 2008

Publication Date:
16 May 2008 (online)

Zoom Image

Abstract

The current study was designed to investigate the effect of madecassoside, the major triterpene in Centella asiatica, on burn wound healing and its possible mechanism of action. An oral administration of madecassoside (6, 12, 24 mg/kg) facilitated wound closure in a time-dependent manner and reached its peak effect, nearly completely wound closure, on day 20 in the group receiving the highest dose of 24 mg/kg of madecassoside. Further histopathological analysis revealed that madecassoside alleviated infiltration of inflammatory cells as well as enhanced epithelisation resulting from dermal proliferation of fibroblasts. Madecassoside at higher doses (12 and 24 mg/kg) decreased nitric oxide (NO) levels and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the burn skin tissue. However, reduced glutathione (GSH) and hydroxyproline levels were increased in the same skin tissue. In addition, madecassoside promoted skin angiogenesis in vivo, correlating with our findings in vitro that it stimulated endothelial cell growth in a rat aortic ring assay. These data suggest that madecassoside has significant wound-healing activity and is one of the major reasons for the use of C. asiatica herbs in the successful treatment of burn injury. Moreover, the results from the present study indicate that the effect of madecassoside on wound healing may involve several mechanisms including antioxidative activity, collagen synthesis and angiogenesis.