WOUND HEALING POTENTIAL OF ACACIA CATECHU IN EXCISION WOUND MODEL USING IN VITRO AND IN VIVO APPROACH Original Article ARCHANA TIWARI 1* , AVINASH TIWARI 2 , SANGEETA SHARMA 3 1 Department of Botany, Government P. G. College Guna-473001, M. P., India. 2,3 School of Studies in Botany, Jiwaji University, Gwalior- 474011, M. P., India * Corresponding author: Archana Tiwari; * Email: archanaashish19@gmail.com Received: 02 Oct 2023, Revised and Accepted: 30 Oct 2023 ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of this work is to elucidate the wound healing capabilities of various extracts derived from the bark of Acacia catechu, and to explore their potential therapeutic effects. Furthermore, the examination of several seasons has been conducted to assess their influence on the examined parameters. Methods: In this study, albino mice were used to assess acute dermal toxicity, excision wound healing, and histological changes. The wounds were monitored, and the area of the wound was measured at the 0 th , 4 th , 8 th , 12 th , 16 th , and 21 st days as compared to the control animals. Results: The test extracts showed considerable protection and wound healing capabilities in acute dermal toxicity, excision wound, and histopathological studies. Among the tested extracts, the ethanolic extract showed the highest wound healing (46.68%, p<0.001), followed by the methanolic (38.50%, p<0.001), acetone (33.87%, p<0.05), aqueous (32.04%, p<0.001), chloroform (29.83%, p<0.05), and benzene extracts (28.60%, p<0.05) at the 21 st d of wound healing. However, the samples gathered throughout the winter, summer, and rainy seasons did not show a statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in the present research work. Conclusion: This study helps to provide preliminary data on the concentration range of different extracts collected in different seasons. It is anticipated that this evaluation represents significant protective potential of indigenous flora for medicinal applications. Keywords: Acacia catechu, Wound healing, Bark extract, Acute dermal toxicity, Bioactive compounds, Catechin © 2023 The Authors. Published by Innovare Academic Sciences Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22159/ijpps.2023v15i12.49539. Journal homepage: https://innovareacademics.in/journals/index.php/ijpps INTRODUCTION For long, plants have been acknowledged for their vast array of chemical compounds, which fulfill a diverse range of functions, such as safeguarding against pathogenic microbes, health supplements, growth regulators, antioxidants, wound healers and protection against many illnesses [1, 2]. Sufficient evidence exists to substantiate the health benefits associated with many components of plant parts, including roots, stems, leaves, bark, fruits, etc [3–5]. Due to the enormous known adverse effects of allopathic medicines, especially after the COVID pandemic, people have turned towards chemical-free, plant-based therapy [6]. In addition to the comparatively high cost of modern medications, traditional herbal treatments provide an inexpensive and natural alternative [2, 7]. Since Vedic era, India has a substantial body of knowledge pertaining to plant-based medicines, which may be effectively used in both preventive and therapeutic medical approaches [8, 9]. With special reference to, the ethnobotanical study carried out in the Gwalior and Chambal divisions, a diverse array of medicinal plants and indigenous populations have been documented [10, 11]. The tribal groups situated in the Guna district [12] of Gwalior division have been seen to harbor a considerable diversity of plant species, as shown by some researchers [8, 10-12]. The genus Acacia has a broad distribution across India, with a notable presence in the state of Madhya Pradesh [13]. This state has a diverse range of plant species that have not been well-researched in terms of their potential therapeutic characteristics [12, 14]. Catechu, a bioactive compound, is derived from many species of Acacia, primarily from Acacia catechu bark [15, 16] has been used as a dietary supplement in several culinary applications, including tannins, natural pigments, astringents, Katha, antioxidants, and many more [17]. Several previous studies on Acacia catechu bark extract have shown a relationship between the amount and quality of secondary metabolites and the medicinal properties of plants [18, 19]. The species name Acacia catechu was given because it has a significant amount of catechins, catechols, and catecholamines, which are primary bioactive components of the plant [20]. The presence of various compounds such as catechin, kaempferol, quercetin, ascorbic acid, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, catechu tannic acid, catechuic acid, catechu red, acacatechin, quercitrin, fisetin, tannins, phlebotannin, cyanodol, polyphenols, and carotenoids, which belong to the class of anti-oxidants, has been reported in the bark of Acacia catechu [21]. This is primarily attributed to its inherent capacity to yield valuable medicinal components, as well as its potential in the creation of food products with beneficial characteristics [22]. The Acacia catechu shrub has been traditionally used for the treatment of several medical conditions, such as asthma, bronchitis, cancer, chest pain, diarrhoea, mouth sores, sore throats, ulceration, vitiligo, and wound healing. Additionally, this shrub has shown antifungal, antiviral, spasmolytic, and hypoglycemic properties [23, 24]. Wounds are disruptions in cellular or histological structures, resulting in compromised integrity and functionality [25]. Till now, along with several plant-based compounds, some Acacia species have been studied for their wound-healing potential [26, 27]. Additionally, the wound-healing efficacy of Acacia catechu bark from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat states has been validated by some previous experimentation on animal models [28, 29]. With reference to the Guna district of Madhya Pradesh, a wide range of Acacia catechu plants have been reported but scientific studies are meager. Though, along with Acacia catechu, some other regional plants known to be used by local people for medicinal purpose [30]. But again, scientific study and documentation is negligible. Though native plants can serve as sources of herbal remedies and health enhancers, as well as possible alternatives to allopathic medications, it is imperative that scientific research be conducted to validate these claims. In the present investigation, the potential wound-healing capabilities of Acacia catechu bark using solvents of International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Print ISSN: 2656-0097 | Online ISSN: 0975-1491 Vol 15, Issue 12, 2023