Abstract

Wound is a tissue that easily disintegrates and requires proper management to promote its healing. One of the wound management techniques for effective healing is the use of herbal remedies such as Crescentia cujete (L.). The current study aimed to analyze the potential of Crescentia cujete (Buah berenuk extract, or BBE) in a cream-based formulation as a healing promoter in excision wounds in rat models. The present study involved 32 male Sprague Dawley rats, 3-month-old and weighing 251.81 ± 7.07 g. Two full-thickness circular wounds (6 mm diameter) were created on the shaved dorsal skin of each rat. The rats were divided into four groups, including untreated (K1), treated with 1% ascorbic acid cream (K2), 1% BBE cream (K3), and 2% BBE cream (K4). The biochemical compounds of BBE were tested using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the level of ascorbic acid and conventional quantitative methods for other biochemical compounds, including flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and triterpenoids. Treatments were applied once daily for seven days. On days three and seven, four rats from each group were euthanized using cervical dislocation, and their skin samples were collected. The skin was tested using macroscopy, histopathology, collagen density analysis, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) against interleukin-6 (IL-6) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF). Statistical analysis was performed on the obtained data. The results demonstrated that BBE contained alkaloid, flavonoid, phenolic, saponin, tannin, and ascorbic acid. The current findings revealed that the use of 2% BBE cream had significant impacts on wound area in rat models, affecting histopathology, skin collagenization, and the immunoreactivity of IL-6 and FGF when compared to the other treatment groups.