From a traditional medicinal plant to a rational drug: understanding the clinically proven wound healing efficacy of birch bark extract.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Birch bark has a long lasting history as a traditional medicinal remedy to accelerate wound healing. Recently, the efficacy of birch bark preparations has also been proven clinically. As active principle pentacyclic triterpenes are generally accepted. Here, we report a comprehensive study on the underlying molecular mechanisms of the wound healing properties of a well-defined birch bark preparation named as TE (triterpene extract) as well as the isolated single triterpenes in human primary keratinocytes and porcine ex-vivo wound healing models.

Methodology/principal findings

We show positive wound healing effects of TE and betulin in scratch assay experiments with primary human keratinocytes and in a porcine ex-vivo wound healing model (WHM). Mechanistical studies

SUBMITTER: Ebeling S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3899119 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature