A Review: Screening Models for Wound Healing Activity in Animals

Wounds are the result of injuries to the skin that disrupt the other soft tissue. Healing of a wound is a complex and protracted process of tissue repair and remodeling in response to injury. A wound can be described as a defect or a break in the skin, resulting from physical or thermal damage or as a result of the presence of an underlying medical or physiological condition. Wound healing is a complex process of cellular and biochemical interactions involving various cells such as keratinocytes, fibroblasts and endothelial cells. The in vitro assays & in vivo models can be performed to evaluate wound healing activity. In vitro models are useful, quick, and relatively inexpensive. In vivo-Small animals provide a multitude of model choices for various human wound conditions. In vitro fibroblast assay, keratinocytes assay can be performed. The wound healing efficacies of various herbal extracts have been evaluated by In vivo- models  excision models, incision models, dead space models, burn modes can be performed on small animals after getting approval from the Ethics committee. In vitro and in vivo assays are stepping stones to well-controlled clinical trials of herbal extracts. Wound healing property can be checked by measuring tensile strength of skin, measurement of wound area, percentage of contraction, collagen content, protein estimation, Period of epithilazation. Key words: In vitro cell assays, excision models, burn wound models, incision models, dead space models