In Vitro Wound Healing Activities of Three Most Commonly Used Thai Medicinal Plants and Their Three Markers.

Skin ensures that a constant internal environment can be maintained in an ever-changing external environment. When a wound occurs on the skin, the inflammatory and proliferative phases are initiated in response to injury. Thai traditional medicine (TTM), using medicinal plants and ancient knowledge, has been used to treat wounds. Eight Thai medicinal plants, most commonly used to treat wounds, were evaluated for their in vitro biological activities such as antioxidation by NBT assay, anti-inflammation by production inhibition of NO, promoting fibroblast cell proliferation, and wound closure activities. Plant materials were extracted with 95% ethanol or distilled water and then concentrated and dried. Statistical analysis of data was done using one-way ANOVA at p value of 0.05. The ethanolic extracts of Garcinia mangostana L., Glycyrrhiza glabra L., and Nigella sativa L. could inhibit the production of superoxide anion with the IC50 values of 13.97 ± 0.38, 28.62 ± 1.91, and 71.54 ± 3.22 µg/ml and nitric oxide with the IC50 values of 23.97 ± 0.91, 46.35 ± 0.43, and 78.48 ± 4.46 µg/ml, respectively. These extracts could promote cell proliferation and accelerate wound recovery at the rate of 2.02 ± 0.03, 2.12 ± 0.03, and 2.65 ± 0.05% per hour, respectively. Three established markers from these three plants were selected according to the selection criteria. Alpha-mangostin, glycyrrhizin, and thymoquinone were found to be the active markers for wound closure activities. The ethanolic extracts of G. mangostana, G. glabra, and N. sativa could scavenge superoxide anion and inhibit the production of nitric oxide; therefore these extracts could assist in surpassing the inflammatory phase and protected the cells surrounding the wound area. Most importantly, these extracts also increased the proliferation and accelerated wound closure, indicating that these plant extracts could be promoting wound healing processes and support the use of TTM.

Antimicrobial Activities of Medicinal Plants Mostly used for Acute Pharyngitis Treatment.

Background: Many people suffer from acute pharyngitis which is caused by bacteria, especially Streptococcus pyogenes. Patients consume antibiotics even though antibiotic drugs have been causing adverse effects. Ten Thai medicinal plant species commonly used for treating acute pharyngitis may reduce the use of antibiotics. Objective: To determine the antimicrobial activity of ten Thai medicinal plant species most commonly used for acute pharyngitis. Material and Method: Plant materials were extracted with 95% ethanol or distilled water then concentrated and dried. Antimicrobial activity of ten Thai medicinal plant species were determined using two standard assays, broth dilution method for minimal inhibitory concentration value (MIC) and agar dilution method for minimal bactericidal concentration value (MBC), against microorganisms that cause acute pharyngitis. Results: The ethanolic extract of Garcinia mangostana showed the strongest activity of both assays, MIC value in range of 0.6-9.8 µg/ml and MBC value in range of 1.2-625 µg/ml, which inhibited all the bacteria tested and particularly inhibited S. pyogenes ATCC 19615 as the most common cause of acute pharyngitis with the value of MIC and MBC at 0.6 and 1.2 µg/ml, respectively. The second highest antimicrobial activity was the ethanolic extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra with MIC value in range of 39-156 µg/ml and MBC value in range of 78-312 µg/ml and it showed strong activity against S. pyogenes ATCC 19615, S. pneumoniae ATCC 49619 and S. mutans ATCC 25175 with the value of MIC and MBC at 39 and 78 µg/ml, respectively. Conclusion: The ethanolic extract of G. mangostana and G. glabra are the two best choice for acute pharyngitis treatment.