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Jonathan O. Kadiri*, Ignatius S. Okafor and Ikoni J. Ogaji
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria
A B S T R A C T
Drugs obtained from natural or synthetic sources are not administered to patients as such. They are usually presented in a form which is stable, effective, efficacious and acceptable to the consumers. The aim of this study was to formulate the methanolic leaf extract of Momordica balsamina as an ointment for wound healing purposes, and evaluate the properties of the products. A 0.1 or 0.2% w/w Momordica balsamina extract was incorporated into Emulsifying Ointment BP, Cetrimide Emulsifying Ointment BP and Cetomacrogol Emulsifying Ointment BP. These are examples of anionic, cationic and non-ionic ointment bases respectively. The consistency, pH, spreadability, and extrudability of the herbal ointments were evaluated by suitable methods and techniques. The antibacterial property was assessed by the agar well diffusion method using Staph aureus, and by the ability of the ointments to heal open wounds inflicted on male and female albino rats. Results show that the ointment formulated with the anionic base exhibited the fastest rate of wound healing compared to others. The inhibition zone diameter of this ointment against Staph aureus was 14±2.31 mm. The ointment equally possessed spreadability and extrudability profiles comparable to those of cationic and nonionic bases or penicillin skin ointment used for comparison. It is also non-irritant to the skin of the experimental animals. On the basis of these, Emulsifying Ointment BP could be employed as a suitable base for formulating ointment containing the extract.
Keywords: Herbal medicines, Momordica balsamina, Herbal ointments, Evaluation
