Bitter melon, bitter cucumber or bitter gourd are some of the names given to M. charantia. It belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. 44 M.

Background and Aim: Momordica charantia is mainly characterized by its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The current study aimed to evaluate the healing activity of gel and cream formulations based on M. charantia on induced wounds in mice. Materials and Methods: Acetonic extract of M. charantia was prepared and incorporated into gel and cream formulations. Mus musculus Balb/c (n=30) with induced injury were distributed into five groups: Group I (control – day 7), Group II (control – day 14), Group III (1% gel – day 7), and Group IV (1% gel – day 14) to which 1% M. charantia gel was dermally applied daily for 7 and 14 days, respectively, Group V (1% cream – day 7) and Group VI (1% cream – day 14) to which of M. charantia 1% cream were dermally applied daily for 7 and 14 days, respectively. Time of wound closure was determined during the experimentation; rats were euthanized with sodium pentobarbital 60 mg/kg/pc v.ip. for obtaining skin samples for histopathological analysis. Results: Groups IV and VI showed a higher percentage of wound closure on day 14, and in histopathological analysis, effect was greater in Group VI with the presence of fibroblasts and abundant collagen and elastic fibers. Conclusion: M. charantia gel and cream showed wound healing activity on induced wounded mice; the most effective treatment was M. charantia 1% cream formulation.

Background and Aim: Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is mainly characterized by its antioxidant and healing properties. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of an ointment based on S. tuberosum L. “papa tumbay” on burns induced in Balb/c mice (Mus musculus). Materials and Methods: The experimental animals were divided into four groups (n = 5/group) 48 h before second-degree burns were inducted. After epilating the loin areas of the mice and anesthetizing them with ketamine/xylazine (80 mg/kg/10 mg/kg) through intraperitoneal (i.p.) route, a round metal rod (0.7 cm in diameter) was placed on the depilated skin at a temperature of 100°C for 5 s. Group I was not given any treatment, Group II was treated with silver sulfadiazine (1%), and the other two groups (III and IV) were treated with the ointment formulated based on S. tuberosum L. “papa tumbay” at 1% and 2%, respectively. After performing the treatment for 21 days, the mice were euthanized using i.p. sodium pentobarbital (185 mg/kg) to obtain skin samples. The samples were preserved in 10% neutral-buffered formalin and subjected to histopathological analysis. Results: We found statistically significant differences in the histopathological sections between the groups (p < 0.05). The abundant collagen and fibroblasts observed in the direction of the dermis in Groups III and IV indicate that the phytoconstituents present in the potato might promote the healing of the second-degree burns until day 21 of treatment. Conclusion: Our findings showed that the ointments based on the ethanolic extracts of S. tuberosum L. “papa tumbay,” especially the 2% ointment, might accelerate the healing of second-degree burns induced in Balb/c mice. Keywords: burn healing, herbal medicine, histopathology, ointment, potato, skin, Solanum tuberosum L.