Topical use of Annona crassiflora Mart. may promote wound healing

Topical use of Annona crassiflora Mart. contributes to wound healing due to the antioxidant and proliferative effects of fibroblasts, finds a new study.

Annona crassiflora Mart. is a species native to the Cerrado biome, whose fruit is known as araticum or marolo. Plant parts are widely used in folk medicine to treat inflammation and pain associated with rheumatism, wounds, venereal diseases, snakebites, and microbial infections.

Thus, Francyelle Borges Rosa de Moura et al investigated a fraction rich in phenolic compounds (PCAc) obtained from the crude extract of the peel of these fruits on non-cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and collagen biosynthesis properties in the healing of wounds induced on the back of BALB/c mice.

For the control group, the induced wounds were not treated and for the others, wounds were treated topically with vehicle or vehicle plus PCAc. Both fractions contained in PCAc demonstrated effective protection on fibroblasts.

The authors highlight the effect of the ethyl acetate fraction which, in addition to the protective effect, has a proliferative activity on these cells. In addition, PCAc caused improvement in healing after 7 days of treatment and in the longest period of treatment with PCAc (7, 14, and 21 days) there was a greater contraction of the wound, accompanied by resolution of the inflammatory process, antioxidant defense, increasing collagen synthesis, and modulation of metalloproteinases. PCAc demonstrated better re-epithelialization and organization of the dermis at the end of treatment. The changes promoted by the phenolic compounds of A. crassiflora were important in the healing process, especially in activities related to inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrogenesis.

In this study, the authors demonstrated that, although there are differences in the healing and inflammation process in BALB/c mice, treatment with the phenolic compounds of the fruit peel of A. crassiflora promoted an improvement in the repair of these wounds. These wounds reflected a better response to oxidative damage and ability to modulate matrix metalloproteinases, favoring tissue repair.

Further reading:

Topic use of Annona crassiflora Mart. contributes to wound healing due to the antioxidant and proliferative effects of fibroblasts

Francyelle Borges Rosa de Moura , Bruno Antonio Ferreira et al

Injury 53 (2022) 844–857

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2021.12.007