"THE EFFECT OF GLIRICIDIA SEPIUM, KAKAWATI BARK EXTRACT ON WOUND CONTRACTION ON CAVIUS PORCELLIUS"

Pharmacology Thesis

The purpose of treating wounds locally (topical) or systematically (oral or parenteral) is to either shorten the time required for healing or to minimize the undesired consequences. However, apart from the associated side-effects that can affect individuals in different ways, there is an increasing health concern high regarding high cost of these drugs. The aim of this research was to compare the effect of the bark extract of G. espium (kakawati) on wound contraction with a standard. Wound excision of three (3) 9mm full thickness piece of the skin and a 10 mm distance in between each wound removed using scalpel, were done on the dorsal side of 10 guinea pigs. Each guinea pig was given Solcoseryl as positive control, negative control, and G. sepium extract once a day until all wounds were healed. Measurement of the wound size were traced everyday until healed and encoded using SPSS Statistical Analysis. The results were interpreted using two-way Anova and paired t-test. Analysis showed that there is a significant difference between positive control and the kakawati extract. This tells that the positive control is better in treating the wounds in terms of duration of healing as measured in wound length. Also, a significant difference has been found between the extract and negative control. The kakawati extract is better in treating the wounds in terms of duration of healing as measured in wound length. Therefore, treatment of wound using the extract of G. sepium (kakawati) offers a possibility of being used as an alternative organic medication to other costly chemical drugs used for treatment of wounds. Since the study is purely base on gross/visual observation of the guinea pig wounds treated with pure extract of G.sepium, it is recommended hereby that there must be a histological examination of the wounds in order to validate phases of healing process; depth of the wounds must be equally excised; to use agent in the wounds of higher forms of vertebral animals; and to validate the bactericidal efficacy of kakawati (G.sepium). It is also recommended to mix other concentrations with other drugs/agents that may have a synergistic or additive effects with kakawati and to identify the toxicity leveel and/or adverse effects of the extract.