Evaluation of anti-inflammatory and wound healing activity of Gentiana lutea rhizome extracts in animals

Gentiana lutea Linn (Gentianaceae), commonly known as gentian, is widely used in the traditional system of medicine as an anti-inflammatory and wound healing agent. We examined the effectiveness of alcohol and petrol ether extracts of rhizomes of Gentiana lutea at 500 and 1000 mg/kg doses orally in the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema, xylol-induced mouse ear edema and cotton pellet-induced chronic inflammatory models. Both extracts showed significant dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activities in all of these models. Both extracts exhibited significant wound healing activity at 300 and 500 mg/kg, p.o., in excision, resutured incision and dead space wound models.