Teucrium polium - wound healing potential, toxicity and polyphenolic profile

Abstract The wound healing properties of Teucrium polium L., a plant used in the Algerian traditional medicine for the treatment of wounds, have been investigated using an excision wound model in rabbits. An ointment was prepared with two concentrations (5 and 10%) of a methanolic extract of the aerial parts. Both preparations showed significant effect on the wound contraction when compared to the control and the group treated with petroleum jelly. In addition, acute dermal and oral toxicity was assessed in animal models. The absence of signs of toxicity on the skin of rabbits indicated the safety of the ointment. After oral administration in mice at doses of 1000 and 2000 mg/kg b.wt, no signs of liver and kidney toxicity were detected by analysis of biochemical parameters and by histological examination. The composition of the methanolic extract was investigated by HPLC-PDA-MS analysis, and a comprehensive profile of phenolic compounds was established, with 14 flavonoids and phenylethanoid glycosides identified as the main polyphenolic constituents. Overall, the data support the use of T. polium as a wound healing agent in the Algerian traditional medicine.