Oral wound healing efficacy of 1% Myristica fragrans (nutmeg) determined using MTT assay: An in vitro study

Wound healing is a complex series of biological processes aimed at tissue regeneration and repair. Traditional therapies can also be combined with modern clinical techniques, biomaterials, and medicines to reduce bacterial resistance and hasten the healing process. Myristica fragrans (nutmeg) being a traditional medicinal herb has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and healing properties. Especially, 1% ethanolic extract of Mystrica fragrans has shown to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties whereas its oral wound healing property has not been evaluated. Hence, this in-vitro study aims to evaluate the oral wound healing efficacy of 1% ethanolic extract of Myristica fragrans (nutmeg) by observing its effect on cell viability, cytotoxicity and proliferation of human gingival fibroblast. The results demonstrated that 1% ethanolic extract of Myristica fragrans had statistically significant (p=0.006) increase in the cell proliferation and viability at 24 hours and 72 hours respectively with no cytotoxicity at both time intervals. Present study demonstrated that 1% ethanolic extract of Myristica fragrans can be effectively used to enhance oral wound healing without any adverse effects.