Antibacterial and Wound Healing Activity of the Leaves of Annona squamosa Linn. (Annonaceae)

Natural remedies from medicinal plants are considered to be effective and safe alternative treatment for wounds. In traditional literature, it is found that Annona squamosa leaves were used as folk medicine for the treatment of wound in different parts of the world. The leaves of Annona squamosa (Linn.) were exhaustively extracted by soxhlet apparatus with different solvents like petroleum ether, solvent ether, chloroform, alcohol and chloroform water in ascending order of the polarity. All the five extracts were subjected to antibacterial screening by using the cup plate method. The petroleum ether, alcoholic and chloroform water extract showed maximum zone of inhibition. So these extracts were taken for wound healing activity. The petroleum ether extracts of Annona squamosa at a dose of 300 mg/kg b.w. (orally) in all models showed significant results. The percentage contraction of wound are at 18^th day, was found to be (91.12±0.62, P < 0.05) in excision wound model, wound breaking strength (299.83 ± 5.446 grams, P < 0.05) in incision wound model, granuloma breaking strength (378.56 ± 5.520, P < 0.05) in granuloma studies. All the results were significant for different parameters in wound healing activity when compared with control group. Presence of sterols, flavonoids, tannins in various extracts was also confirmed by preliminary phytochemical investigation, TLC and HPTLC methods.