Efficacy of Ageratum conyzoides on tissue repair and collagen formation in rats K. Arulprakash, R. Murugan, T. Ponrasu,* K. Iyappan,† V. S. Gayathri‡ and L. Suguna* Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras, Chennai, India; *Department of Biochemistry, and †Chemical Engineering Division, Central Leather Research Institute (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) Adyar, Chennai, India; and ‡Department of Chemistry, SSN College of Engineering, Kalavakkam, India doi:10.1111/j.1365-2230.2011.04285.x Summary Background. Wound healing occurs as a fundamental response to tissue injury. Several natural products have been shown to accelerate the healing process. Aim. To observe the efficacy of topical administration of an ethanolic extract of Ageratum conyzoides on cutaneous wound healing in rats. Methods. An ethanolic extract of A. conyzoides was prepared, and its wound-healing efficacy on rats was studied. An open excision wound was made on the back of each rat, and 200 lL (40 mg ⁄ kg body weight) of the A. conyzoides extract was applied topically once daily to the treated wounds. The control wounds were treated with 200 lL of 50% ethanol. The wound tissues formed were removed at 4, 8 and 12 days after wounding, and biochemical parameters such as DNA, total protein, total collagen, hexosamine and uronic acid were estimated. The extent of epithelialization and the tensile strength of the wounded tissues were also measured. Results. The A. conyzoides extract increased cellular proliferation and collagen syn- thesis. Wounds treated with the extract were found to heal much faster, based on the improved rates of epithelialization and wound contraction, and on the histopatho- logical results. A 40% increase in the tensile strength of the treated tissue was seen. Conclusions. Topical application of A. conyzoides accelerates the rate of wound healing. Introduction Healing of wounds is a chain of processes that includes removal of invading pathogens from the damaged tissue of the body, and complete or partial remodelling of the injured tissues. In general, wound healing proceeds in three interrelated, dynamic and overlapping steps: (i) coagulation and inflammation; (ii) formation of granu- lation tissue and matrix formation; and (iii) remodelling of connective tissue, collagenization and acquisition of wound strength. 1 Several natural products promote the process of wound healing. 2,3 In India, several different types of medical practices, based on the different properties of herbs, have been followed for the treatment and cure of various diseases and physiological abnormalities, such as Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. In addition, Indian folk medicine contains numerous therapies for conditions such as wounds, inflammation, skin infec- tions, leprosy, diarrhoea, scabies, venereal disease, ulcers and snakebite. Over half of the world’s population still depends upon traditional medicines for various skin diseases. Herbal medicines for wound management aim at disinfection and debridement of wounds, and at providing a moist environment to promote the natural healing process. We have already shown the Correspondence: Dr Lonchin Suguna, Department of Biochemistry, Central Leather Research Institute (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), Adyar, Chennai, India E-mail: slonchin@yahoo.co.uk Conflict of interest: none declared. Accepted for publication 15 September 2011 Experimental dermatology • Original article CED Clinical and Experimental Dermatology Ó The Author(s) 418 CED Ó 2012 British Association of Dermatologists • Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 37, 418–424