Wound healing and immunomodulatory effects of juice from Bidens pilosa fresh leaves

Abstract

In response to a wound, a physiological restoration phenomenon occurs wound healing. This phenomenon can evade the body’s control and lead to a wide range of disability. A major drawback of modern wound-healing drugs is their accessibility. To overcome this problem, people turn to medicinal plants. This study aimed to evaluate the in vivo healing and immunomodulatory activities of Bidens pilosa leaf juice. This work began with harvesting fresh Bidens pilosa leaves in the western region and their identification at the Herbarium, followed by mechanical pressure extraction to obtain Bidens pilosa Juice. Phytochemical screening was carried out on the extract obtained. Acute oral and cutaneous toxicity tests were carried out in accordance with OECD lines 425 and 402. Healing activity was assessed on a non-infected wound model generated by skin excision of a 2x2cm area. Immunomodulatory activity was assessed by two tests: carbon clearance with determination of the phagocytic index, and cyclophosphamide-induced neutropenia with leukocyte and platelet counting on 3 occasions. The yield of Bidens pilosa juice extraction was 60%. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, polyphenols, tannins and saponins. The wound-healing activity showed that all doses of Bidens pilosa juice tested increased the speed of wound healing, compared with BIAFINE* (trolamine 0.0670g/100g), a pharmacy-available wound-healing agent. Bidens pilosa juice at all tested doses decreased the phagocytic index like that of cyclophosphamide, a reference immunosuppressant indicated for inflammatory wounds and an increase in leukocytes and platelets after cyclophosphamide-induced neutropenia. The results obtained confirmed that the juice of Bidens pilosa’s fresh leaves has wound healing and immunomodulatory activity in vivo, while having zero oral and cutaneous toxicity.