In Vivo Diabetic Wound Healing and in Vitro Anti-Staphylococcus Aureus Activities of Some Medicinal Plants from Sudan

Abstract

Diabetic wound infections are among the most severe complications of diabetes, often resulting in delayed healing and poor response to conventional therapies. The emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens, particularly Staphylococcus aureus, has increased the need for effective alternative treatments. In Sudanese traditional medicine, Quercus infectoria nut galls, Guiera senegalensis, and Aloe vera are widely used for wound management, although their therapeutic efficacy remains insufficiently validated. This study evaluated the in vivo wound-healing and in vitro antibacterial activities of these plants cultivated in Sudan. The ethanolic extracts (80%) were formulated into 10% topical gels (8 mg/mL) and applied to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats using an excision wound model. Solcoseryl® gel (10%) served as the reference treatment. Wound healing was assessed macroscopically and histologically, while antibacterial activity against S. aureus was determined using the disc diffusion method. Rats treated with the ethanolic extract gels of Q. infectoria, G. senegalensis, and A. vera exhibited complete wound closure within nine days, significantly faster than the Solcoseryl®-treated group, which required twenty days, whereas untreated rats showed no significant healing. Histopathological examination confirmed restoration of normal skin architecture in the treated groups. Additionally, the extracts demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus at concentrations ranging from 6.25–100 mg/mL, producing larger inhibition zones than gentamicin (30 mg/mL). These findings support the traditional use of these plants and highlight their potential as affordable natural therapies for diabetic wound management.