Received: 02 Dec 2014 Revised and Accepted: 05 Jan 2015 ABSTRACT Objective: This study was done for comparative evaluation of different herbal formulations used for topical delivery of therapeutic agents at the time of injury to accelerate skin repair in the shortest time possible, with minimal pain, discomfort and scarring to the patient during the wound healing process. Methods: Topical application of ointments and gels prepared from the methanolic extract of Aegle marmelos leaves and Mucuna pruriens seeds were formulated and evaluated for its efficacy and safety. General formulation approaches towards achieving optimum physical properties and topical delivery characteristics for an active wound healing dosage form were considered for different herbal formulations. Results: All formulation showed good stability during storage and no major changes observed after carrying out other physiochemical evaluations and during entire storage period. Differences in wound healing were observed between the various treatments and compared to the herbal formulation which has promising effect on the wound healing process. Conclusions: The results obtained were encouraging and gel-based formulations produced better wound healing than emulsifying ointment formulations. The results demonstrated that the tested hydrogel had promising healing effect in skin injuries and it will aid in identifying and targeting the many aspects of the complex wound healing process. Original Article DEVELOPMENT, OPTIMIZATION AND EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT HERBAL FORMULATIONS FOR WOUND HEALING FEDELIC ASHISH TOPPO, RAJESH SINGH PAWAR Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry Laboratory, VNS Group of Institutions, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462044, India Email: ashish_two@yahoo.co.in Keywords: Aegle marmelos, Mucuna pruriens, Wound healing, Herbal formulation, Ointment, Hydrogel. INTRODUCTION Skin serves as a barrier to water and various pathogens. Wounds and injuries destroy this barrier that normally prevents invasion of bacteria, fungi and viruses 1 . Skin is often injured by wounding or physical trauma, and damages to skin initiate a series of complicated and well orchestrated events of repair processes ending with complete reestablishment of the integrity of damage tissue and restoration of this functional barrier [2-4]. In some severe conditions (i.e. Large full-thickness skin defects), complete re- epithelialization takes a long time [5-8]. Clinicians are still searching for an ideal wound dressing which would provide prompt adherence, water vapour transport, good elasticity and durability. It would create a bacterial barrier, have good antiseptic effects and lack of toxicity and antigenicity. It would have a low cost and markedly reduce the total required treatment cost. Several approaches are currently utilized to treat pain, inflammation, skin diseases, for disinfection of skin and as controlled release devices in the field of wound dressing. Several drugs obtained from plant sources are known to increase the healing of different types of wounds. Traditionally Mucuna pruriens L. (Fabaceae) seeds are applied on cuts and wounds [9, 10] and Aegle marmelos L. (Rutaceae) leaves are also used for cut and wound [11, 12]. The last decades bring natural remedies into the medical forefront, having as major role the use of plants in the treatment of different disorders. The concept of phytotherapy treatment is reconsidered by achieving in vivo and in vitro studies regarding the confirmation of the healing effects of plants, the determination of the active principles responsible for these effects, and the elucidation of their mechanism of action [13-15]. In few cases, active chemical constituents were identified [16]. Plants or chemical entities derived from plants need to be identified and formulated for treatment and management of wounds. By definition, the wound is already a traumatic insult to the body's integrity and any additional trauma (Mechanical or chemical) inflicted in your attempts to manage that wound will only delay the reparative process. In spite of availability of excellent herbal wound healing products and formulations, it has always been difficult and challenging to formulate and deliver the naturally derived drug as an optimum system which can maximize its clinical effect with minimum side effects. Recently many researches have been done for the purpose of solubilization of insoluble or only slightly soluble drug with the application of various nonionic surfactants such as labrasol, tween 80, PEG 400, and so on [17-19]. Also the similar studies have been investigated using anionic surfactants such as Na- taurocholate, Nataurodeoxycholate, Na-deoxycholate, and so on [20, 21, 22]. Especially many delivery systems have been developed to improve the solubilization of drugs by these surfactants. One of the most promising agents is the system using the interaction of polymer and surfactant. Polymer/surfactant interactions may cause dramatic changes in the drug solubilizing capacity, rheological properties of polymer aqueous dispersions, and in drug diffusion and penetration through the skin and mucouses. In consequence, incorporation of polymer/surfactant opens a wide range of possibilities for developing drug delivery systems [23, 24]. Surface active agents can be segregated according to the charge on the active chemical. They can be designated as cationic when they have a positive charge; anionic when they have a negative; or amphoteric agents which have both positive and negative charges in the same molecule. These charged materials interact with the cell membrane and perturb it. The membrane loses permeability, which ultimately leads to death. So all of these agents are toxic to tissue defenses and inhibit wound healing. If all of the charged particles are going to pose problems, what is left? There is a large chemical group of polymers that are known as non-ionics because they don't carry a charge on them, but even within this group, the majority of non- ionics still have sufficient reactivity to interact with cell membranes and cause problems. Hence, there is dearth of rational pro-healing agents for the wound management programme, which can hasten the healing process. If patients at risk are identified sooner and aggressive interventions are taken before the wound deteriorates and complications occur, International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences ISSN- 0975-1491 Vol 7, Issue 3, 2015 Innovare Academic Sciences