Phytochemical fingerprinting, antioxidant and antibacterial activities, and in vitro wound healing potential of the polyherbal formulation MM-24

Damage and disruption of skin layers initiate a complex and overlapping wound healing process, including hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling phase. Indeed, the core management is to promote wound closure and tissue regeneration. However, the prevention of wound infections and minimizing reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, which can impede the healing process, are equally important. This study investigates the wound healing potential along with antibacterial and antioxidant activities of polyherbal MM-24 formulation, composed of Allium ascalonicum L. and Coffea canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner. Antibacterial assays showed that MM-24 is effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, with MIC value ranging from 3.1 to 12.5 mg/mL. DPPH free radical scavenging activity and β-carotene bleaching activity of MM-24 were determined, with an IC₅₀ value of 53.57 ± 0.15 µg/mL and 37.65 ± 1.31 µg/mL, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis showed a strong negative correlation between total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) with the DPPH and BCB assay. In vitro wound scratch assay demonstrated that MM-24 significantly promotes the migration of immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF) cell migration, resulting in wound closure percentages of 51.01 ± 1.04% and 61.72 ± 2.22%, respectively, at 48 h (p < 0.001 compared to control). These findings suggest that MM-24 is a promising alternative agent for wound healing management.