Chemical Class-Driven Polyphenolic Profiles Shape In Vitro Regenerative Activity of Four Medicinal Plants Relevant to...

Background: Burn wound repair is driven by oxidative balance and keratinocyte regeneration. Polyphenol-rich botanicals are considered promising due to combined antioxidant and pro-regenerative properties. This study compares four ethnopharmacologically relevant species-Boswellia serrata (BS), Sambucus nigra (SN), Ocimum basilicum (OB), and Galium verum (GV)-to determine how their polyphenolic class profiles relate to in vitro regenerative activity. Methods: Ethanolic (E-99.5%) and hydroalcoholic (H-70%) extracts were profiled by LC-MS, total polyphenol content (TPC), and DPPH assays. Biological effects were assessed in HaCaT keratinocytes using Alamar Blue (24/48 h) and scratch wound closure (24 h), and results were correlated with chemical profiles. Results: The H extract of OB (OB-H) and of GV (GV-H) had the highest TPC (62.6 and 63.9 mg GAE/g) and lowest DPPH IC₅₀ (18.7 and 17.1 μg/mL), aligning with the strongest biological responses-HaCaT viability up to 169.1% and wound closure up to 414%. SN extracts, dominated by rutin, promoted moderate migration with preserved viability, whereas BS produced modest viability gains. Conclusions: Polyphenolic composition-particularly the dominance of phenolic acids-correlates strongly with in vitro regenerative responses in HaCaT keratinocytes. O. basilicum and G. verum hydroalcoholic extracts displayed the most favorable profiles.