Abstract:
Wound healing is a complex process that includes many biological and physiological
events. Chronic wounds are often characterized by microbial infections, biofilm formation,
and high levels of oxidative stress in the wound microenvironment. The use of antibacterial
can prevent bacterial infections, and antioxidants reduce the oxidative stress
of the compunds and accelerate the healing. Hot water extract of Musa paradisiaca (ash
plantain) rhizome (MP) is commonly used by traditional medical practitioners to wash
chronic wounds and is believed to accelerate the wound healing process. The present
study was conducted to investigate whether there is any antibacterial and antioxidant
effect in MP rhizome that may help the wound healing process. MP rhizome was sequentially
extracted with hot hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The methanol
extract was further partitioned with dichloromethane and ethyl acetate. Agar well
diffusion method was used to investigate the potential antibacterial effect of MP extracts
against four bacterial strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Staphylococcus
aureus (ATCC 6538), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus (clinical isolate, MRSA). Total phenolic content, flavonoid content,
DPPH radical scavenging activity, and lipid peroxidation inhibition activity (TBARS)
of each fraction was tested for antioxidant activity. Ethyl acetate fraction obtained from
the hot methanol extract showed significant growth inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus
and MRSA strains (with the inhibition zone diameters of 10.3 ± 0.5 mm, n = 3 in each
case). The highest DPPH radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation inhibition activities
were shown by the same ethyl acetate fraction with the IC50 of 6.54±0.33 μgml−1 and
146.48±0.82 μgml−1, n = 3, respectively, subsequent to its high total phenolic content
((21.19±0.09)% W/W Gallic acid equivalent, n = 3). The findings of this study provide
scientific evidence for the ethnomedical use of Musa paradisiaca (ash plantain) rhizome
in chronic wound treatments.
