Chemical Profiling and Antioxidant Reactivity of Inula viscosa Extracts Relevant to Wound Healing

Inula viscosa is a medicinal plant that is traditionally recognized for its antioxidant, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, aqueous crude extract of I. viscosa was prepared using distilled water and concentrated by the rotary evaporation. The extract was evaluated for total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents and antioxidant activity using the DPPH radical scavenging assay. Additionally, the essential oil was analyzed by GC–MS to determine its chemical composition. The oil was rich in oxygenated monoterpenes, eucalyptol, α-pinene, and camphor identified as major constituents. A topical cream formulation containing ۵% aqueous extract and ۲% essential oil was developed and evaluated for wound-healing activity. Nine mice were divided randomly into three groups: a control group treated with cream base only, a reference group treated with Fucidin®, and a test group treated with I. viscosa cream. The extract showed high levels of phenolics (۹۴.۳۷ mg GAE/g), flavonoids (۲۹.۵۱ mg RE/g), and tannins (۳۳.۹۳ mg GAE/g), accompanied by strong antioxidant activity (۹۳.۸% DPPH inhibition). In vivo results showed that the I. viscosa cream significantly enhanced the wound contraction and accelerated the complete healing compared with both control and Fucidin® groups. By day ۷, wound area was reduced to ۳.۹۶ mm² in the I. viscosa group, versus ۱۳.۷۷ mm² and ۱۶.۹ mm² in the Fucidin® and control groups, respectively. Repeated-measures ANOVA confirmed statistically significant differences between treatments (p < ۰.۰۵). Overall, I. viscosa cream exhibits strong wound-healing potential and represents a promising natural alternative for topical wound management.

کلیدواژه ها:

Inula viscosa ، Antioxidant ، wound healing