Effect of Combined Centella asiatica Extract and Standard Therapy on Incision Wound Healing Rate in BALB/c Mice (Mus musculus)

Wounds represent a disruption of biological tissue integrity affecting organs, skin, and mucosal membranes. Several conventional wound healing modalities remain suboptimal, necessitating the exploration of more effective therapeutic approaches. Centella asiatica (gotu kola) is a traditional medicinal plant widely recognized for its wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties, primarily attributed to its triterpenoid content, particularly asiaticoside. This study aimed to determine the effect of combining Centella asiatica extract cream with standard therapies on the rate of incision wound healing in BALB/c mice. A true experimental study with a post-test only control group design was conducted using male BALB/c mice (Mus musculus), randomly divided into four groups (n = 6): K1 (NaCl 0.9%), K2 (gentamicin 0.1%), P1 (NaCl 0.9% + 16% Centella asiatica extract cream), and P2 (gentamicin 0.1% + 16% Centella asiatica extract cream). Incision wounds (1 cm in length, 0.2 cm in depth) were created on the dorsal region. Wound length was measured on days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney U test, one-way ANOVA, and post-hoc LSD test. Significant differences in wound length reduction were observed among the four groups on day 1 (p = 0.001) and day 7 (p = 0.014). On day 3, one-way ANOVA revealed significant intergroup differences (p = 0.003). The P2 group consistently demonstrated the fastest wound length reduction throughout the observation period. By day 14, no significant differences were found (p = 0.368), and by day 21, complete wound closure was achieved in all groups