The potential healing effect of Moringa Oleifera versus Pumpkin on full thickness skin wound in rat: Histological study

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Oral Biology Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

2 Department of Pharmaceutics, Egyptian Drug Authority Formerly Known as National Organization for Drug Control and Research (NODCAR), Giza, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: Wounds are a disruption of the skin’s normal structure and function and a significant health concern. Wound healing involves several phases that if interrupted may lead to delayed closure and reduced collagen production. Natural plant extracts like Moringa Oleifera (MO) and pumpkin (Pu) have shown excellent healing abilities. However, no studies compared the effects of both herbal treatments in wound healing.
Aim of study: This study compares the effectiveness of MO leaves extract versus Pu seed oil in albino rat’s skin wound healing.
Methods: A 6 mm single round full-thickness skin wound was induced in 72 albino rats. Rats were divided into three groups: untreated control group, MO and Pu treated groups. Then sub-grouped (8 rats/group) based on scarification dates (3, 7 and 14 days). The skin wound specimens were examined for histological changes, wound size measurement and real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) for interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and then the results were statistical analyzed.
Results: Wound closure increased in each group over time, with no significant difference observed between groups at 3 days. At 7 and 14 days, both treated groups showed a significant increase in wound contraction percentage versus control group. Histological results of all groups at 3 days showed signs of incomplete wound healing. At 7 and 14 days, both treated groups showed complete healing, with newly formed collagen fibers, skin appendages and less inflammatory cells. Gene expression for IL-1β and TLR4 increased gradually from 3 to 7 days, peaking at 7 days and decreasing at 14 days. Both treated groups showed a significant decrease in PCR results compared to the control group. However, there was no discernible difference between the two treated groups.
Conclusion: MO and Pu ointments positively influenced the healing of rats’ skin wounds with no significant difference between either treatment.

Keywords

Egyptian Journal of Histology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 02 August 2025

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics