Novel herbal drug for wound-healing, hypertension
Can extracts of local plant be the next best novel drug for treating hypertension and ‘open’
wounds?.
BOTANICALLY called Napoleona imperialis, the local tree or shrub that seldom grows above six
metres with large leaves, belongs to the family Lecythidaceae.
It is called Ukpakonrisa in Edo, Obu-anagbo and Otukuche in Igala, Isi efe that is the
wood in Umuahia dialect, Akpodo in Awka dialect and Utum in the Ikwuano dialect of Igbo
language.
Until now, its fruits sugary pulp is reportedly used as dessert, the roots for medicinal
purposes and the twigs as chewing sticks.
However, an extract of a local plant, Napoleona imperialis has been shown to have better
healing property than standard antibiotic in treating open wounds.
Nigerian researchers in a study published in Journal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences
found that the plant extract had a better wound healing property, 100 per cent efficacy,
than a standard antibiotic, Cicatrin® by the 19th day of treatment.
The study is titled “The wound healing effect of herbal ointments formulated with
Napoleona imperialis.”
The researchers from the faculties of pharmaceutical sciences and veterinary medicine,
University of Nigeria, Nsukka include: C. O. Esimone, E. C. Ibezim, and K. F. Chah.
The researchers wrote: “The wound healing effect of herbal ointments formulated with
Napoleona imperialis (NI) embedded in different ointment bases (anionic, cationic and
non-ionic) has been evaluated in vivo using the excision wound healing model, on guinea
pigs.
“Napoleona imperialis was extracted using methanol and the extract formulated as herbal
ointments. The herbal ointments were used to treat wounds inflicted on experimental guinea
pigs. The wound healing effects of the formulations were compared to that of a standard
antibiotic, Cicatrin®.
“In all cases, there was a progressive decrease in wound area with time, indicating an
efficacy of the formulations in healing the induced wounds. By the 16th day, the ointment
containing 100 mg/g of Napoleona imperialis in non-ionic emulsifying ointment base showed
100 per cent healing …”
Researchers have also found that oral administration of methanol extract of Napoleona
imperialis may be useful for prevention and treatment of hypertension.
The study published in International Journal of Biochemistry is titled “Antihypertensive
Effect of Methanol Extract of Napoleona imperialis in Adrenaline Induced Hypertensive Albino
Rats.”
The researchers from the Department of Biochemistry, Kogi State University, Anyigba,
scientifically verified the antihypertensive effect of the methanol extract of the leaf of
Napoleona imperialis in adrenaline-induced hypertensive rats (AlHR) when compared with those
of Propanolol in a cross over design.
Napoleona imperialis leaf extract and the commercial drug (Propanolol) were administered
orally and through intraperitoneal (I.P) route respectively for one week.
Previous study has demonstrated antibacterial and wound healing properties of the methanol
extract of Napoleona imperialis. It showed more than 90 per cent wound healing activity. Its
antibacterial properties was studied against eleven chemical isolates (four strains of
Staphylococcus aureus, two strains of Escherichia coli, Shigellia spp (one strains),
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (one strain) and three strains of Proteus spp.
Investigation also has shown that the seeds of Napoleona imperialis are rich sources of
commercial hemolytic saponins and feed ingredient.
Proximate and phytochemical composition of Napoleona imperialis showed the presence of
phytates, tannins alkaloids, saponins, and metabolisable energy value.
The researchers from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka wrote: “… There was a general
decrease in wound area upon application of the ointments and with time. By the 4th day, the
animals treated with ointments containing 100 mg/g of Napoleona imperialis in anionic
emulsifying ointment, all died. There was however a hundred percent (100 per cent) healing
in the animals treated with ointments containing 100 mg/g of NI in cationic emulsifying
agent and in the ointment containing Cicatrin powder, by the 19th day after treatment, as
the wound sizes reduced to zero.
“The ointment containing the negative control had the least rate of wound healing. A drug
to be used for effective wound healing should be able to clear the wound by the 19th day
after infliction. The death of the animals treated with the ointment containing 100 mg/g of
anionic emulsifying could be attributed to contamination or adverse effect of the
formulation.
“… The ointments prepared with NI in cationic emulsifying ointment base exhibited the
highest initial rate of wound healing. It was followed closely by the ointment prepared with
non-ionic emulsifying ointment. The control ointment containing neither NI extract nor
Cicatrin® had a very low initial healing rate. By the tenth day however, all the ointment
formulations showed almost the same rate of wound healing with the exception of the control
ointment which maintained a very slow rate of wound healing even up to the 19th day.
“The best activity was observed in the ointment containingNapoleona imperialis in cationic
ointment base. This shows that Napoleona imperialis can effectively be employed as a
cationic emulsifying ointment in wound healing.
“Conclusively, the various ointments prepared with Napoleona imperialis exhibited a good
wound healing effect comparable to those of Cicatrin®, a standard antibiotic used in wound
healing. This finding thus, justifies its use in folkloric medicine for wound healing.”
Meanwhile, the researchers from Kogi State University measured the effect of the extract
on different biochemical parameters such as blood glucose, serum triglycerides, serum
cholesterol, serum creatine phosphokinase, lactate dehydrogenase, pulse rate and body weight
utilising standard methods.
Napoleona imperialis leaf extract at the doses of 26mg/130±17g and 52mg/130±17g of body
weight were given orally every morning during treatment to show the effect of dose
concentration. Propanolol at a dose of 0.084mg/130±17g of body weight was injected into rats
according to its pharmacokinetic parameters.
The extract-administered rats had significantly lowered serum lactate dehydrogenase,
creatine phosphokinase and pulse rate compared to the non-extract administered AlHR group.
Blood glucose, serum triglycerides and serum cholesterol were not lowered and significantly
different when compared with the control.
These results suggest that oral administration of methanol extract of Napoleona imperialis
may be useful for prevention and treatment of hypertension.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a common disorder, which if not effectively treated
results in a greatly increased probability of coronary thrombosis, stroke, and renal
failure.
Circulatory system diseases such as hypertensive, arteriosclerosis, and heart disease are
especially prevalent in developed countries, with increasing numbers of people showing
symptoms of hypertension or prehypertension.
Hypertension is becoming a household disease now in developing countries, such as Nigeria.
Hypertension can be caused by many factors, including increases in the volume of body fluid,
resistance of the blood vessels, and other factors that elevate blood pressure. These
factors induce abnormal increases in blood pressure, either alone or in combination.
Antihypertensive effects have been noted with various food and natural products.
Treatment of hypertension reduces cardiovascular risk, and this has been a major focus of
campaigns aimed at reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.
A number of international guidelines suggest that blood pressure should be reduced at
least to below 160/90 mmHg to normalise cardiovascular risk in patients with hypertension.
In patient at higher baseline risk of cardiovascular disease, for example those with
diabetes, the recommendations are that the target blood pressure should be substantially
lower than 130/85 mmHg. This recommendation is based on the view that the absolute risk of a
cardiovascular event in these patients is much greater, and therefore, the absolute benefit
of treatment is larger.
Because of high incidence and morbidity, various drugs and regimes have been advocated for
control of hypertension. Many new drugs have been introduced which may demonstrate better
efficacy but posses side effects. Recently attention has been drawn or focused towards
herbal and mineral preparations, which are traditionally used as potential therapeutic
agents in the prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases.
Generally, the cytosolic enzymes lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine phosphate kinase
(CPK) as well as lactate in coronary effluent are important biomarkers for myocardial
ischemia in hypertension.
The Kogi State University study investigated the hypotensive effect of Napoleona
imperialis methanol leaf extract in adrenaline-induced hypertensive rats using serum LDH,
CPK and other biochemical parameters as biomarkers.
The results of the study showed that Napoleona imperialis and Propanolol significantly
decreased the pulse rate of hypertensive rate. This decrease was dose dependant. The
reduction in pulse rate of the hypertensive rats confirms the hypotensive effect of
Napoleona imperialis leaf extract. Its reductive ability is comparative to the standard drug
(Propanolol) used.
It has been shown that pressure over load to the heart, such as from hypertension, results
in pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Pathological cardiac hypertrophy induces a reduction of
cardiac function and pathological cardiac hypertrophy result in heart failure. It has been
reported that glycolytic energy metabolism is accelerated in hypertensive cardiac
hypertrophy induced by pressure over load due to aortic banding or pulmonary hypertension.
The heart is known to rely mostly on fat metabolism for energy, but it can also derive
energy from several other substances including glucose and lactate.
The effect of Napoleona imperialis extract and Propanolol on blood glucose, serum
triglyceride and cholesterol level of the experimental rats showed that there was no
significant decrease in blood glucose level of the experimental rats when compared with the
control group for both doses of the extract.
Significant decreases in serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels were observed in
animals treated with the extract and Propanolol. These significant decrease in serum
triglyceride and cholesterol might be due to the combined effect of the extract, increased
metabolic activity of adrenaline used to induce hypertension.
The researchers concluded: “In conclusion, our investigation suggests that Napoleona
imperialis leaf extract has got profound hypotensive activity and this study has correlation
with previously reported investigations using other plants.
“The mechanism by which Napoleona imperialis lowers blood pressure is not yet fully
established. However, the hypertensive effect may be due to the stimulation of muscarinic
receptors of the parasympathetic nerve by the compounds or their actions as an antagonist of
α2 – adrenergic receptors but it may act as Ca+ ion channel block.
“The intake of Napoleona imperialis as medicine or as supplement in diet might have
potential benefit in the treatment of hypertension. In this respect, herbal drugs are
helpful and render encouraging results in comparison to synthetic drugs due to their fewer
side effects and easy availability.”
Proximate analysis by another study published in Journal of Natural Sciences Research
showed that the pulp contains 9.9 per cent carbohydrate, 1.0 per cent fat, 5.05 per cent
fibre, 1.3 per cent protein, 0.35 per cent ash and 87.5 per cent moisture while the jam
contained 15.7 per cent carbohydrate, 0.2 per cent fat, 2.5 per cent fibre, 0.4 per cent
protein, 0.25 per cent ash and 80.5 per cent moisture. Flame photometric analysis showed
that the jam contained 0.16g/mg sodium and 0.13g/mg potassium.
The researchers concluded: “The pulp gave a good fruit jam which revealed moderate protein
and high calorific value in its proximate composition. The presence of sodium and potassium
in concentrations admissible for human consumption makes the jam good for the maintenance of
acid – base balance in the body. Some of the wild fruits in our locality should be utilised
in the production of various other fruit based products. Since they are readily available
and relatively cheap in terms of production, they can serve as a source of income for the
cottage industry and also reduce unemployment among our teaming youths.”
Evaluation of antimicrobial properties of ethyl acetate extract of the leaves of Napoleona
imperialis published in Pharmaceutical Science International Journal of Drug Research and
Technology showed that the extract demonstrated activities against certain bacteria
confirming the use of the plant in ethno- pharmacology.
The researchers from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University,
Awka, screened ethyl acetate extract of the leaves were against some microorganisms so as to
ascertain this claim and to recommend it for further investigation for possible inclusion
into official compendium.
The phytochemical screening showed availability of alkaloid, saponins, tannins, glycosides
and proteins. Ethyl acetate extract exhibited activity against E. coli, B. subtilis and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa with minimal inhibitory concentration of about 50 mg/ml for E.coli,
100 mg/ml for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 200mg/ml for B. subtilis.
Yet another study published in Research Journal of Medicinal Plant has also investigated
the role of medicinal plants in wound healing.
Medicinal plants are important sources of new chemical substances that have beneficial
therapeutic effects. Extensive research has been carried out in the area of wound healing
management through medicinal plants.
The researchers identified recent studies with significant findings involving
Alternanthera sessilis, Morinda citrifolia, Lycopodium serratum, Sesamum indicum,
Catharanthus roseus, Cecropia peltata, Euphorbia hirta, Ginkgo biloba, Clerodendrum
serratum, Pterocarpus santalinus, Lawsonia alba, Napoleona imperialis, Kaempferia galangal,
Radix paeoniae, Prosopis cineraria and Trigonella foenum-graecum.
The researchers concluded: “Wound healing is a biological process that begins with trauma
and ends with scar formation. The goals of wound care include reducing risk factors that
inhibit wound healing, enhancing the healing process and lowering the incidence of wound
infections. Many medicinal plants have been found useful in wound healing.
“Medicinal plants provide leads to find therapeutically useful compounds, thus more
efforts should be made towards isolation and characterization of the active principles and
elucidation of the relationship between structure and activity. The combination of
traditional and modern knowledge can produce better drugs for wound healing with fewer side
effects.
BY CHUKWUMA MUANYA
ABUJA: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
PORTHARCOURT: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
LAGOS: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
STOP paying for airtime and electricity, Let your phone pay its bills with ScreenT
You may also like
Lagos NMA Chairman Removed Over Alleged Constitutional Breaches, Femidire Elected as Successor
A leadership crisis has erupted within the Lagos State branch of the Nigeri…
Lagos Doctors Demand End to Police Harassment, Decry Rising Intimidation of Medical Practitioners
Medical doctors in Lagos have called on the Nigeria Police Force and other …
Babafemi Bows Out as Gbagada General Hospital MD, Calls for Sustained Health Sector Reforms
Concerns over the continuity of reforms in Lagos’ public health system took…
NARD Calls Off Strike, Resident Doctors Set to Resume Wednesday
Resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, are expe…
World Health Day Marred by Fresh Doctors’ Strike as Nigeria’s Health Funding Crisis Deepens
Nigeria marked World Health Day this year under the cloud of a nationwide s…
