Phytochemicals in Wound-Healing - Essay Example

Phytochemicals in wound-healing 2007 Introduction In this paper I’m going to discuss the curable effect of phytochemicals on the wound-healing process. I’ll discover on what stages of wound repair these materials are extremely valuable. I will also name the main phytochemicals and list those ones, which were proven to be beneficial for the wound healing process. Part 1 Hypothesis and Methodology I this research I’ll try to prove that some phytochemicals, which are widely used by particular ethnic groups really provide curable effects and should find their place in the traditional medicine. In the course of the actual research I will support my original thesis statement with the actual study of several phytochemical plants. I will gather these pants and process according to traditional schemes. Further the material will be tested for active components and the wound healing effect of these substances will be tested on the example of the experimental rats. I will view the results and properly document them for further research and reference. Part 2 Literature Review 2.1. Wound healing There are different types of wound ranging from a slight cut to a deep puncture, which requires surgical operation. Wound healing is mainly defined as the body’s natural process, which lies in regeneration of dermal and epidermal tissue. After a person receives some sort of injury or a wound several events take place in the individual’s body to heal the wound and repair the damage. It should be kept in mind that these events should not necessarily be consecutive. Sometimes they overlap in the course of time /Stadelmann, Digenis & Tobin , 1998; Iba., Shibata, Kato & Masukawa, 2004/. Schematically all these events could be categorised several steps: the inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation phases /Sidhu et al., 1999; Quinn, 1998; Iba, Shibata, Kato & Masukawa, 2004/. I’m interested in all these steps and the influence of the phytochemicals into the wound healing in all the steps. That’s why I would like to briefly outline the processes, which take place on all the stages of the wound. The first phase - the inflammatory process – bacteria and debris are phagocytized and removed. Due to this the factors, which are the causes of migration and division of cells, are released. The next step is known as the proliferative phase. It is characterised by the following processes - angiogenesis, collagen deposition, granulation tissue formation, epithelialization, and wound contraction /Midwood, Williams & Schwarzbauer, 2004/. In the course of the angiogenesis stage new blood vessels appear from endothelial cells /Chang., Sneddon, Alizadeh, Sood, West, Montgomery, Chi, van de Rijn, Botstein, Brown, 2004/. After that there comes a new stage of fibroplasia and granulation tissue formation, where fibroblasts grow and create a new, provisional extracellular matrix (ECM) by disgorging collagen and fibronectin /Midwood, Williams & Schwarzbauer, 2004/. In epithelialization stage epithelial cells advance to the wound bed in order to cover it /Garg, 2000/. Finally due to the previous process there begins the stage of contraction, in the course of which the wound diminishes due to the work of myofibroblasts, which make a grip on the edges of the wound and gradually contract themselves. In this process a mechanism similar to that in smooth muscle cells is involved. Finally, when the cells’ roles are almost, extra cells undergo the process of apoptosis /Midwood., Williams & Schwarzbauer, 2004/. Finally, there takes place the final stage of the maturation and remodeling. In this process collagen is remodelled and realigned along tension lines. Due to this those cells, which are already useless, are removed by apoptosis /Garg, H.G. 2000/. In the next chapter I will proceed to the purpose on our research – the action of the phytochemicals on all the stages. I will define the stage, where the work of the phytochemicals is the greatest and the ways, in which these substances influence the process of the wound healing. However, before dwelling on the healing effect of phytochemicals I would like to briefly outline the main properties of these materials and their effects on the individual’s body in general. 2.2. Phytochemicals Phytocemicals are among the recently discovered materials. People knew for ages that fruits and vegetables were considered a healthy food. However, the knowledge in their healing properties are not so old. The first understanding about the valuable characteristics of vegetable food appeared in 19900, when first vitamins and minerals were discovered and extracted. After this fiber was discovered and medical workers found its protective characteristics / Tinnerello, 1999 /. And only recently medicine came to the realisation of the curable effect of some chemical compounds, which were found in the majority of fruits and vegetables. It was proved that some of the pant foods is extremely beneficial for metabolism and can even play its role in prevention of cancer, heart disease, and many other heavy chronic illnesses. All these compounds, which are found in the plant food, were collectively called phytochemicals (the word originated from the Greek word “phyto” meaning “plant”). These chemical compounds can be called real disease fighters, however, they do not have such nutritional value in the traditional sense as vitamins or minerals / Tinnerello, 1999 /. Since the time of discovery of these useful substances people got extremely interested in their nature and their effects. Phytochemicals are produced by the plants for the sake of protection of themselves against viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Till nowadays there are discovered over 900 phytochemicals. It is interesting that a single fruit or a vegetable may contain over 100 different phytochemicals / Phytochemicals, 2006/. Quite often there are applied different terms for phytochemicals. One more definition, which is also quite often used, is phytonutrients. In fact, these two terms are interchangeable. Phytochemicals exhibit diversified physiologic and pharmacologic effects / Phytochemicals, 2006/. The role of phytochemicals for the human’s health can not be overestimated. These substances promote human health through strengthening of the human immune system and blood vessels, they fight tumours, lower the risk of numerous chronic diseases / Phytochemicals, 2006/. There are different ways, in which phytochemicals act. Phytichemicals prove beneficial for the cancer patients – they activate enzymes, which inactivate carcinogens, suppress the division of cancer cells. People with heart diseases feel better, when they ear plant food due to the antioxidant action of phytochemicals / Tinnerello, 1999 /. Let’s for example, look at some phytochemicals and their beneficial effect of the body of an individual. Lycopene, which can be found in tomatoes, watermelons, pink grapefruit, and guava, and which is responsible for the red colour of these vegetables and fruit is said to prevent prostate cancer, cervical and breast cancer and heart disease as well. This curable effect lycopene is enhanced by olive oil / Tinnerello, 1999 /. The other type of phytochemicals is lutein, which is commonly found in all green vegetables, for example in spinach, broccoli and others. This phytochemical material possesses an antioxidant effect and proves beneficial for eyes protection against cataracts and macular degeneration / Tinnerello, 1999 /. The other type of phytochemicals are, which can be received from berries, citrus fruits, grapes, broccoli, onions, tea, and gingko biloba. Flavanoids influence the blood-clot formation (blood thinners). Due to these properties these phytochemicals protect against heart disease. They are also considered to influence on the cancer enzymes, which is particularly important for the metastatic disease / Tinnerello, 1999 /. I can’t but mention the curable effect of Allyl sulfides on the whole body. These phytochemicals could be found in garlic, onions, leeks, and chives and are proved to stimulate anticancer enzymes, lower cholesterol, detoxify carcinogens, and enhance immunity / Tinnerello, 1999 /. All phytochemicals could be classified into several groups. The first one is carotenoids, which are considered among the main natural fat-soluble pigments and could be found in some plants. This group also includes hydrocarbon carotenes or xanthophylls, which are, in fact, oxygenated derivatives of carotenes. Among the best-known examples of carotenes are β-carotene, alpha-carotene, and lycopene. Xanthophylls are represented by lutein, astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, zeaxanthin, and capsorubin. Curable effect of carotenoids is in protection of cells against free radicals, which is done through their neutralisation primary to their oxidative damage / Phytochemicals, 2006/. The other example of phytonutrients is chlorophyll, which can be found in the majority of green plants. Chlorophyll received its intense green colour due to its ability to absorb red and blue portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The most important is chlorophyll A, which is the most common in green plants. The greatest advantages of chlorophyll are its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and wound-healing characteristics / Phytochemicals, 2006/. Dietary fiber can be found in some fruits like in oranges, apples, bananas, in oats, legumes, broccoli, carrots, psyllium seed. This phytochemical is proved to be very beneficial for the treatment and prevention of diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, high cholesterol, heart disease and obesity. Dietary fiber is also considered to posses wound healing properties / Phytochemicals, 2006/. Flavonoids could be found in the majority of flowering plants and are divided flavonols, flavones, flavanones, isoflavones, catechins, anthocyanidins and chalcones. Flavonoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects,thus, they can be useful n healing wounds / Phytochemicals, 2006/. One more type of phytochemicals, which I would like to mention in this research is ajoene, which can be received from garlic and which have the characteristics of antioxidant and antithrombotic (anti-clotting) natuire. Due to this ajoene is known to prevent heart disease and stroke. Ajoene also possesses antimicrobial (antibacterial and antifungal) properties. This characteristic prompts the use of ajoene in prevention of yeast infection and treatment of athlete’s foot / Phytochemicals, 2006/. Saponins are also among the best-known phytochemicals known as glycosides. One of the main properties of saponin is its water-binding characteristics for the skin. The other properties are antimicrobial effect of saponins / Phytochemicals, 2006/. Phytosterols are other phytochemicals, which are plant fats and are present in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. They include beta-sitosterol and its glucoside beta-sitosterolin. Phytosterols lead to lower cholesterol absorption and are considered to play beneficial role for the prevention and treatment of cancer / Phytochemicals, 2006/. Phytonutrient are seen as very promising by alternative medicine in their protective and nutrient-rich resources. One of the most perspective phytochemicals is chlorophyll, which in known for its ability to neutralize toxic pesticides, drug residues, and other dangerous substances from human’s body. They compensate for the deficiencies in diets and serve a valuable component to support health-giving effect of dietary supplements / Drugs And Surgery Should Be A Last Resort, Not Initial Treatment. Phytonutrient Greens Are Proven In Natural Healing, 2007/. Phytonutrient greens promote the efficiency of the human immune health system due to their ability to stimulate natural killer cells of the human body, which have the ability to kill disease-causing free radicals. Numerous researchers proved the fact that diets, which contain certain amount of dark green chlorophyll, are beneficial for the reduction of a number of diseases. Phytonutrient greens are rich on phytochemicals, which provide natural healing effect. Phytonutrient posses anti-inflammatory, detoxifying and blood cleaning action / Drugs And Surgery Should Be A Last Resort, Not Initial Treatment. Phytonutrient Greens Are Proven In Natural Healing, 2007/. One of the best phytosupplements is Kyo-Green, which is considered by many researchers as really healing natural food. In fact, it really gives rich nourishment at the cellular level, able to eliminate the cause of the disease, not its symptoms / Drugs And Surgery Should Be A Last Resort, Not Initial Treatment. Phytonutrient Greens Are Proven In Natural Healing, 2007/. However, our primary aim is not discussion of the positive effect of phytochemicals on the human’s health. I’m primarily interested in their effect of the wound healing. Numerous traditional herbal medicine practitioners proved that many indigenous plants provide the therapeutic efficacies for different diseases /Natarajan, Venugopal & Menon, 2003/. That’s why it’s not wonder that natural products serve a valuable source for synthetic and traditional herbal medicine. Moreover, these components are the basis of the primary health care system in various parts of the world even nowadays /Singh, 2001/. It was not until the past decade that ethnopharmacological therapeutic applications were considered valuable for traditional medicine. Researchers began to recognize the curing effect of different herbs and to regard potential wound healing properties / Nayak1 & Pereira, 2006/. Part 3 Examples of the study of phytochemical effect on wound healing 3.1. The study of Catharanthus roseus 3.1.1. General Information Catharanthus roseus L (apocyanaceae), which is known as Vinca Rosea, is the plant commonly originating from the Caribbean Basin, where it was traditionally used for treatment of a wide range of diseases. This plant was used by numerous European herbalists for treatment of different kinds of illnesses from headache to diabetes. This plant contains over 400 known alkaloids, a number of which are proved to be antineoplastic agents used for treatment of leukemia, malignant lymphomas, Hodgkin’s disease, neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Wilms’ tumor, and other cancers / Nayak1 & Pereira, 2006/. Due to its vasodilating and memory-enhancing characteristics properties Catharanthus roseus L is a perfect means of treatment of alleviate vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease /Fischhof, Moslinger-Gehmayr, Herrmann, Friedmann, Russmann, 1996; Hindmarch, Fuchs, Erzigkeit, 1991/. Vinca also contains alkaloids and tannins. Vincamine is a known medicinal agent, applied for vasodilating, blood thinning, hypoglycemic and memory-enhancing properties /Chattopadhyay, 1999; Chattopadhyay, Sarkar, Ganguli, Banerjee, Basu, 1999/. Vinca serves the basis for numerous extracts against cancer cells /El-Sayed and Cordell, 1981/. In many rural areas they apply extracts from the dried or wet flowers and leaves on wounds. Tea from fresh juice from the flowers of C. roseus was used by Ayurvedic physicians in India to treat various skin problems, eczema, dermatitis and acne / Nayak1 & Pereira, 2006/. 3.1.2. Plant material and extract preparation The flowers of C. roseus were collected, identified and a voucher specimen was deposited at the herbarium. After that fresh flowers were shade dried and further ground into a powder. The fine powder from dried flowers was suspended in ethanol for a definite period of time. The received mixture was filtered through a muslin cloth with filter paper. Finally, the filtrate was dried in water base and applied for the further study and tests. The wound-healing activity of C. roseus was discovered for excision, incision and dead space wound models / Nayak1 & Pereira, 2006/. Different types of wounds were created on experimental rats, which were further divided into several groups on the basis of wound types and kinds of treatment. Some rats were treated with the mixture on the basis of C. roseus. 3.1.3. Results Before the treatment of wounds with the help of the Catharanthus roseus L the preliminary phytochemical analysis was made, which showed the presence of tannins, triterpenoids and alkaloids in the flower extracts. In fact, all phytochemical constituents, which were defined in C. roseus extracts, were considered as possible wound healing agents. Most recently it was proved that such phytochemical constituents as flavanoids /El-Sayed A, Cordell, 1981/ and triterpenoids /Tsuchiya, Sato, Miyazaki, Fujiwara, Tanigaki, Ohyama, Tnanka, 1996/ are famous for their ability to contribute to wound-healing. This is mostly due to their astringent and antimicrobial characteristics, which promote wound contraction and lead to epithelialisation. Triterpenoids are also present in Cecropia peltata /Scortichini, Pia Rossi, 1991/ and Pentas lanceolata /Shivananda Nayak, 2006/ and contribute to the effective wound healing activity. The wound-healing characteristics of C. roseus can also be the cause of phytoconstituents, which were found in the plant as well. In the course of the research it remained unclear whether quicker process of wound healing was attributed by the function of the individual or by the additive effects of the phytoconstituents. In the couse of the study the researchers saw the early tissue approximation and increased tensile strength of the incision wound, which can appear due to the action of the tannin phytoconstituent of C. roseus from the astringent effect /Chaudhari and Mengi, 2006/. In spite of the fact that the wound healing activity of the plant was proved, still there is a need in further phytochemical activities to research the specific active compounds in this flower, which contribute to wound healing effect. An associated antimicrobial effect is also considered to contribute to perfect wound healing activity of plant extracts /Singh, Govindarajan, Nath, Rawat, Mehrotra, 2006/. 3.2. Plagiochasma appendiculatum The other type of the curable effect of plants and its contribution to the wound-healing activity was investigated and proved by other group of scholars, which investigated the curable effect of plagiochasma appendiculatum (Aytoniaceae). This plant was widely used by Gaddi tribe in Kangra valley, which applied paste from the plant ethnomedicinally for treatment of a number of skin diseases. The researchers investigated antimicrobical potential of Plagiochasma appendiculatum against different types of microorganisms. 3.2.1. General Information Plagiochasma appendiculatum (Aytoniaceae) is known among the ethnic groups as “Patharshali” /Kumar et al., 2000/. The fresh plant material is used externally by the ethnic groups several times a day for a week in the process of treating wounds, burns or boils. The research was conducted in response to numerous studies of influence of natural antibiotics on various infectious diseases, for the most part bacterial and fungal. Mach research was conducted in this field; however, the majority investigated angiosperms while to little data are available regarding bryophytes /Madsen and Pates, 1952; McCleary et al., 1960; Banerjee and Sen, 1978; Latiff et al., 1989; Basile et al., 1999/. It is considered that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are particularly harmful for the wound healing processes because of their harmful effects on cells and tissues. Many researchers consider that absorbable synthetic biomaterials are degraded via ROS /Aliyeva et al., 2004/. ROS is removed through free-radical-scavenging enzymes (FRSE), which promote the wound healing process. FRSE produce free radicals due to their “respiratory burst” activity /Baboir, 1979/. Applications of the plant with free-radical-scavenging properties really proved beneficial for improvement of wound healing and protection from oxidative damage /Thiem and Grosslinka, 2003/. 3.2.2.Collection of plant material The researchers collected Plagiochasma appendiculatum from Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The plants were identified and voucher specimens were added to Bryophyte herbarium, NBRI, Lucknow. Further, the plant was air-dried and powdered. After that the powder was exposed by cold percolation. The received extracts were decanted, filtered and concentrated. Plagiochasma appendiculatum extract underwent biological screening for antimicrobial activity. Different types of phytochemical constituents were differentiated through particular tests. Alkaloids, anthraquinones, saponins, flavonoids, sesquiterpenes and terpenes were found /Sofowora, 1982; Trease and Evans,1987/. 3.2.3. Results The results of the research, conducted on experimental rats, showed that plagiochasma appendiculatum possessed potent antimicrobial, wound healing and antioxidant actions. Thus, the research in fact supported the ethnopharmacological approach in application of plagiochasma appendiculatum for wound healing practices. It also proved that this plant could and should be actively used by the traditional medicine for the purposes of treatment of skin disease /Singh, Govindarajan, Nath, Rawat, Mehrotra, 2006/. 3.3. Antioxidant combo speeds up wound healing It is also interesting that phytochemicals can be used with the purposes of wound healing not only externally but also inwardly. Thus, numerous researches proved the fact that a dietary supplement with vitamin C and plant extracts contributed to quicker wound healing processes. One of such researches was conducted by a group of plastic surgeons. The researchers from the University of Texas came to the conclusion that those surgery patients, who took combo supplement recovered faster even than those, who took placebo /Antioxidant combo speeds up wound healing, 2004/. The valid explanation of this research is that the antioxidant activity present in all four ingredients in the supplement reduced greatly the recovery time of patients. According to James Chao “Previously, it would generally take 18 days for a patient to recover from a plastic surgery procedure, such as a facelift. By taking these supplements right after the procedure, patients can fully heal in just 15 days” /Antioxidant combo speeds up wound healing, 2004/. However, it should be mentioned that curable effect of the supplement was observed not only for surgical wounds but for other types of wounds as well. Thus, the research published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery examined the recovery stages of patients, who participated in the research. In the result of the research it was proven that over 80 % of participants recovered quicker when taking the supplements at the initial stage of the healing process, which contributed to quicker soft-tissue wound healing. One of the characteristic features of the supplement is that it contributed to the changed of the inflammatory process /Antioxidant combo speeds up wound healing, 2004/. The supplement, taken by the patients, included antioxidants, which are beneficial for cellular stability and prove efficient for decrease of swelling. One of major components, bromelain, is widely used due to its anti-inflammatory characteristics for healing minor injuries /Antioxidant combo speeds up wound healing, 2004/. Numerous studies suggested that vitamin C supplements are beneficial for healing different wounds and trauma. There are also researches trying to prove the efficiency of rutin and grape seed extract alongside with the vitamin C’s activity in cells for more active treatment of wounds. For example, Ohio State University staff conducted a research in 2002. The results of this research proved the fact that grape seed extract is really useful for treatment of skin wounds, which commonly heal faster and with less scarring. This combination also helps to regenerate damaged blood vessels and contribute to the amount of free radicals in the wound site /Antioxidant combo speeds up wound healing, 2004/. Conclusions So, in the result of this research I proved my original thesis statement that phytochemicals are extremely useful for the wound healing processes. Theses chemical components, which could be found in the majority of plant prove really beneficial for different stages of wound repair. References 1. Antioxidant combo speeds up wound healing (2004) [online]. Available from: < http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=53496-antioxidant-combo-speeds > 25 March 2007. 2. Aliyeva, E., Umur, S., Zafer, E., Acigoz, G. (2004). The effect of polylactide membranes on the levels of reactive oxygen species in periodontal flaps during wound healing. Biomaterials 25. 3. Banerjee, R.D., Sen, S.P. (1978). Antibiotic activity of Bryophytes. The Bryologist 82. 4. Basile, A., Giordano, S., Lopez-Saez, J.A., Cobianch, C. (1999). Antibacterial activity of pure flavonoids isolated from mosses. Phytochemistry 52. 5. Baboir, B.M. (1978). 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