UNAIR NEWS – Starting from an interest in pomegranates from the Qur’an, Dr.Wiwik Misaco Yuniarti M. Kes, Drh or Wiwik with his two colleagues Hardany Primarizky Drh., MVM and Prof. Dr. Bambang Sektiari Lukiswanto Dea, Drh decided to study the efficacy of pomegranate fruit for health. The pomegranate itself is stated in the Qur’an surah Al-Anam verse 99 and 141, and Ar Rahman verse 68.
“At first we just read and found pomegranates mentioned in the Qur’an, so we were interested in proving their benefits,” said one of the lecturers of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UNAIR.
In her research, Wiwik used fifty albino mice, and all the albino mice got an incision in the gluteus with the same size, depth, and the wound is left open.
Then, two groups were left without medication, and two groups were smeared with betadine ointment on the incision wound area. The other six groups were smeared with ointment from pomegranate extract which had been standardized with 40% ellagic acid (active compound in pomegranate, ed) with a concentration of 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% in every two groups.
Observations were conducted twice, on the first seven days (the eighth day) and the first fourteen days (the fifteenth day). On the eighth day, five groups of mice consisting of one untreated group, one group whose wounds smeared with betadine, and three other groups smeared with ointments from pomegranate extract that had been standardized with 40% ellagic acid with a concentration of 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% were sacrificed to get the skin. The skin is then converted into specimen so that it can be observed using a microscope. The same process was carried out on five other groups of mice on the fifteenth day.
“The study showed that the best results were standardized pomegranate extract ointment with 40% ellagic acid with a concentration of 7.5% given for fourteen days,” Wiwik explained.
The albino mice itself was chosen because its skin composition is similar to that of humans. Moreover, albino mice are also the ideal animal for incision wounds research.
The study was conducted for three months, starting from the preparation of tools and materials needed. In the future, Wiwik hoped that the results of the research could be followed up so it can be mass-produced into a pomegranate extract ointment at an affordable price for the community.
“I think all the plants and animals must have benefits, we only need to prove it scientifically,” she concluded.
Author: Galuh Mega Kurnia
Editor : Khefti Al Mawalia
Reference : Yuniarti WM, Primarizky H, Lukiswanto BS (2018) The activity of pomegranate extract standardized 40% ellagic acid during the healing process of incision wounds in albino rats (Rattus norvegicus), Veterinary World, 11(3): 321-326.
Link : www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.11/March-2018/11.pdf
