Wound healing properties of aqueous extracts of Sargassum illicifolium: An in vitro assay

Abstract Background Seaweeds contain biologically active molecules which are important in the pharmaceutical industry. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of aqueous extract of seaweeds: Sargassum illicifolium (S.i) on the stimulation of mouse fibroblast cell proliferation and migration. Materials and methods Sargassum illicifolium -SW12, Sargassum illicifolium -SW13, and Sargassum illicifolium -SW23 were collected from Northern, North Western and Southern coastal sites of Sri Lanka respectively. To determine the cytotoxic of S.i extracts were used the MTT assay. The scratch wound healing assay was performed using the mouse fibroblasts (L929) cells that assess the cell proliferation and migration. The highest cell proliferation of S.i species aqueous extracts was measured by observing the change in the size of the scratch wound area. Results A concentration of S.i extracts 0.954 ± 0.04 μg/μl (Mean ± SE), (P  Conclusions Cell proliferation and migration were significantly faster in those treated with S.i-SW23 aqueous extracts when compared with the control group. Moreover, no cytotoxic effect of S.i aqueous extracts on L929 cell line were observed. This study suggests that S.i might be a potential therapeutic agent for skin wound healing by promoting fibroblast proliferation and migration. Further studies are highly warranted to identify active molecules in the extracts. Moreover, in-vivo studies would further verify wound healing therapeutic applications shown here.