Granuloma maturation in the rat is advanced by the oral administration of Eucommia ulmoides OLIVER leaf

We have reported that collagen metabolism was improved by the administration of Eucommia ulmoides OLIVER leaf. In this paper, we examine the granuloma maturation and deposition of collagen in the granuloma of rats due to the oral administration of this leaf. After 3 weeks of the oral administration, granuloma formation was induced by the formalin soaked filter paper-pellet method. A week later, the developing granuloma was dissected. Granuloma formation was significantly increased due to ingestion of the dried leaf at a dose of 1.8 g/kg of body weight/d. The collagen content in the granuloma was also significantly increased. In the case of the collagen profile, the pepsin-solubilized collagen content and its relative percentage to the total collagen were significantly higher than in the control. Histochemical examination showed that the granuloma tissues were well developed, and displayed many newly synthesized capillary vessels and a greater quantity of fibroblasts and monocytes in the 1.8 g leaf group. High density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and triglyceride content in the blood plasma were significantly higher than in the control. These results show that granuloma maturation was accelerated and the energy was supplied from fatty acid metabolism. The administration of Eucommia ulmoides OLIVER leaf may be effective at speeding up the wound healing process.