Phytochemical Profiling and Multifunctional Bioactivities of Pergularia tomentosa L. Latex: Angiogenic Potential via...

Burn wounds represent a major clinical challenge due to delayed healing, high infection risk, and the limitations of current therapeutic agents. This study investigated the phytochemical composition and multifunctional bioactivities of Pergularia tomentosa L. latex as a potential natural therapeutic for burn wound management. Phytochemical screening identified phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, terpenoids, and saponins, with substantial quantities of lipids (105.95 ± 0.01 mg ESO/g), proteins (97.91 ± 0.02 mg EBSA/g), and carbohydrates (229.92 ± 0.03 mg EG/g), supported by FTIR spectral analysis. The latex demonstrated a sun protection factor of 12.78, moderate hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀: 102.16 ± 7.00 mg/mL), antioxidant capacity (46.64 ± 0.003 EAA/g), and erythrocyte membrane protection against oxidative hemolysis. Antibacterial assays revealed broad-spectrum activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.9375 mg/mL against all tested strains. The chorioallantoic membrane assay confirmed marked pro-angiogenic activity with enhanced neovascularization and vascular branching at lower concentrations. In vivo evaluation in a rat burn model showed that topical formulations containing 2% and 7% latex significantly accelerated wound closure and tissue repair over 22 days compared with controls (p < 0.001), with near-complete re-epithelialization observed in the 7% formulation group. These findings support the therapeutic potential of P. tomentosa latex as a multifunctional natural candidate for burn wound management and tissue regeneration.