Medicinal Plants with Wound Healing and Antioxidant Activity ... - IJPI

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OFREVIEW ARTICLEPHARMACEUTICAL INNOVATIONS ISSN 2249-1031Mechanism of Wound HealingWound healing is a complex process andconsists of integrated cellular andbiochemical events that lead to reestablishmentof structural and functionalintegrity with regain of strength in injuredtissues. Proper healing of wounds isessential for the restoration of disruptedanatomical continuity and disturbedfunctional status of the skin.The response to injury is immediate andthe damaged tissue or wound for properhealing passes through three broadphases [5, 6] . These are‣ The inflammatory phase‣ The fibroplastic phase‣ The remodelling phaseThe inflammatory phase prepares thearea for healing and immobilizes thewound by causing it to swell and becomepainful, so that movement becomesrestricted. The fibroplastic phase rebuildsthe structure and then the remodellingphase provides the final healed form.Wounds affect physical and mentalhealth of millions of patients and imposesignificant cost to them. [7] . Impairedwound healing can result into severemorbidity leading to long hospitalizationof patients. There are many factors thatcan interfere with wound healing processand thus causing improper or impairedwound healing. These factors includepoor nutrition, insufficient oxygenation,infection, prolonged inflammation, age,diabetes and other diseases, drugs,smoking, alcoholism, depression,oxidative stress and many more [8] .Volume 3, Issue 4, July − August 2013Oxidative stress plays an important rolein impaired wound healing and causesdamage to the growing tissue at therepair site. Oxidative stress results froman imbalance between the generation ofreactive oxygen species and endogenousantioxidant systems. In the inflammatoryphase of wound healing, reactive oxygenspecies are produced as a defencemechanism against invading bacteria byneutrophills and macrophages, and lowlevels of ROS are also essentialmediators of intracellular signalling .Wound related non-phagocytic cells alsogenerate free radicals by involving nonphagocyticNADPH oxidase mechanism[9] . However, excessive amounts of ROSare deleterious due to their high reactivityand causes oxidative stress. The processof wound healing may be hampered bythe presence of these free radicals whichcan damage the cells surrounding thewound in excessive amount. At highconcentration ROSs also induce severtissue damage, pathogenesis of chronic,non-healing wound and even lead toneoplastic transformation which furtherdelay healing process by causing damageto cellular membranes, DNA , proteinsand lipids[10] . Therefore, a tightregulation of ROS production anddetoxification is crucial for the normalrepair process.Antioxidants reduce these effects causedby oxidative stress by reacting with thesefree radicals or ROSs and act as freeradical scavengers. Free-radicalscavengingenzymes are cytoprotectiveenzymes that have an essential role in thereduction, deactivation and removal of32 | P a g ehttp://www.ijpi.org