Pyrus communis L. (Pear) and Malus domestica Borkh. (apple) leaves lipoidal extracts as sources for beta-sitosterol rich formulae and their wound healing evaluation

Pyrus communis L. (cv. Le-Conte) (pears) and Malus domestica Borkh. (cv. Anna) (apples) are economic fruit crops cultivated in Egypt. Their leaves were assessed for their beta-sitosterol content and found to have 9.4 mg/g dried leaves wt and 5 mg/g dried leaves, respectively. So we used the lipoidal leaves extracts in the formulation of eight beta-sitosterol-rich emulgels from which the most stable formulae were tested for their antimicrobial activity. Finally, the formulae which exerted antimicrobial activity were biologically evaluated for wound healing against well-known wound healing ointment Mebo (R) which is composed mainly of 0.25% beta-sitosterol in a base of sesame oil and beeswax. Wound contraction was statistically different in both formulae F3 and F8 from both control and Mebo(R) groups which indicated better wound healing activity of these formulae ensured by further histopathological study of the healed wounds.