Wound healing cream formulated with Kalanchoe pinnata major flavonoid is as effective as the aqueous leaf extract cream in a rat model of excisional wound

Abstract

Leaves of Kalanchoe pinnata are used worldwide for healing skin wounds. This study aimed to develop and compare two creams containing a leaf aqueous extract of K. pinnata (KP; 6%) and its major flavonoid [quercetin 3-O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside] (0.15%). Both creams were topically evaluated in a rat excision model for 15 days. On the 12^th day, groups treated with KP leaf-extract and KP major flavonoid creams exhibited 95.3 ± 1.2% and 97.5 ± 0.8% of healing, respectively (positive control = 96.7 ± 0.8%; negative control = 76.1 ± 3.8%). Both resulted in better re-epithelialization and denser collagen fibres. Flavonol glycosides are the main phenolics in KP leaf-extract according to HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis. KP major flavonoid plays a fundamental role in the wound healing. The similar results found for both creams indicate that the use of KP crude extract should be more profitable than the isolated compound.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Bryophyllum pinnatum
• Crassulaceae
• skin wound healing
• pharmaceutical formulations
• phytotherapy
• quercetin diglycoside
• anti-inflammatory

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – CAPES (Brazil) – Finance Code 001 and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq (Brazil) – PIBIC/CNPq – Proc. 144036/2011-8; 151830/2012-6.