Comparative Studies of the Effects of Ripe and Unripe Peels of Musa paradisiaca and Sofratulle® on Excised Wound Healing in Rat

Abstract

Musa paradisiaca (plantain) is widely cultivated for nutritional purposes with many health values being attributed to it. Its peel, which constitutes a significant proportion of the plant and usually disposed off as biological waste, has been reported to be effective in wound repair processes. In this study, the effects of ripe and unripe peels of powder and ethanolic extracts of Musa paradisiaca on wound healing were compared with softratulle, a standard wound-dressing agent. The excisional wounds of thirty-six adult male Wistar rats in six equal groups were dressed with normal saline (NS), sofratulle (SF), ripe peel powder (RPP), unripe peel powder (UPP), ripe peel ethanolic extract (RPE) and unripe peel ethanolic extract (UPE) daily till healed. Mean wound contraction rates were determined from wound sizes every three days. Granulation tissue taken from an animal in each group every three days and together with end scar tissues were processed for histological analyses. The mean wound contraction rate on day 3 for the UPP group was significantly higher that of the RPP group. Also on day 3, that of the UPE was similarly significantly higher than that of RPE. Although, the mean wound contraction rates of the control (NS and SF) were significantly higher than those of the peel groups on days 3,6 and 9, by day 12, the differences became insignificant. Histology of the granulation and scar tissues of both control and experimental showed similar features consistent with wound healing. Thus the powder and ethanolic extracts of ripe and unripe peel of M. paradisiaca accelerated healing of excisional wounds of Wistar rats.