Symptom → Plant Sources
Peach-leaved bellflower (Campanula persicifolia) as a tool for helping with Wounds
Bellflower extract promoted fibroblast wound healing in vitro (genus congener).
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Full Peach-leaved bellflower monograph →All plants for wounds →
Plants are valuable sources of bioactive metabolites that influence cellular physiology and tissue repair. This study investigates the phytochemical composition and cellular wound-healing potential of the aqueous extract of Campanula macrostachya Boiss. (Campanulaceae), an endemic Anatolian species traditionally used for treating skin injuries. The extract was obtained via ultrasound-assisted extraction and characterized by LC–MS, revealing chlorogenic and caffeic acids as the dominant phenolics. Antioxidant properties were evaluated using DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC, phosphomolybdenum, and ferrous ion chelating assays, while enzyme inhibition screening included acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, tyrosinase, α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. In human dermal fibroblast (HDFa) cultures, the extract exhibited no cytotoxicity up to 62.5 µg/mL, significantly enhanced cell viability, and promoted 98% wound closure within 48 h in scratch assays. Moreover, TNF-α and IL-1β levels were downregulated, suggesting an anti-inflammatory contribution to tissue repair. These findings provide mechanistic insights into the cellular basis of C. macrostachya’s ethnopharmacological use and support its potential as a source of phenolic compounds that modulate redox balance and cytokine activity. The study highlights the relevance of plant-derived antioxidants in regulating fibroblast behavior and suggests their potential for future development of natural agents for skin-related applications, based on in vitro findings.
1 source supporting Peach-leaved bellflower for Wounds. Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's antimicrobial, vulnerary (wound healing) actions. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
The Campanula genus (Campanulaceae) comprises nearly 300 herbaceous species widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. Beyond their ornamental value, many species have been traditionally employed to treat inflammatory, respiratory, and cardiovascular disorders. Phytochemical studies have revealed a remarkable diversity of bioactive constituents, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, coumarins, acetylenic compounds, triterpenes, and alkaloids. These metabolites exhibit broad pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, and cardioprotective effects. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the isolated compounds from the Campanula species, summarizing their chemical diversity, pharmacological mechanisms, and structure-activity relationships. It also highlights underexplored species and compound classes with potential therapeutic significance. By integrating the phytochemical evidence with pharmacological insights, this work underscores the value of the Campanula species as promising natural resources for future drug discovery and development.
In this study, the composition of amino acids, nutritional characteristics, degree of hydrolysis (DH), antioxidant properties, and antibacterial activity of proteins and hydrolysates of bellflower (Campanula latifolia), Persian willow (Salix aegyptiaca), and bitter orange (Citrus aurantium L.) were investigated under the influence of different proteases (Alcalase: Al, trypsin: Tr, pancreatin: Pa, and pepsin: Pe). Evaluation of the structural features of the proteins showed amide regions (amide A, B, I-III) and secondary structures. Hydrophobic amino acids (∼38%), antioxidants (∼21%), and essential types (∼46%) form a significant part of the structure of flower pollen. The digestibility and nutritional quality (PER) of the hydrolyzed samples (CP: 1.67; CA: 1.89, and PW: 1.93) were more than the original protein. Among proteins and peptides, the highest degree of hydrolysis (34.6%: Al-PWH), inhibition of free radicals DPPH (84.2%: Al-CPH), ABTS (95.2%: Pa-CPH), OH (86.7%: Tr-CAH), NO (57.8%: Al-CPH), reducing power (1.31: Pa-CPH), total antioxidant activity (1.46: Pa-CPH), and chelation of iron ions (80%: Al-CPH and Al-CAH) and copper (50.3%: Pa-CAH) were affected by protein type, enzyme type, and amino acid composition. Also, the highest inhibition of the growth of Escherichia coli (25 mm) and Bacillus cereus (24 mm) were related to CP and PW hydrolysates, respectively. The results of this research showed that hydrolyzed flower pollens can be used as a rich source of essential amino acids as well as natural antioxidants and antibacterial in food and dietary products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Enzymatic hydrolysis of Campanula latifolia, Persian willow, and Citrus aurantium pollen proteins was performed. The hydrolyzed ones had high nutritional quality and digestibility (essential amino acids and PER index). Antioxidant properties and chelation of metal ions of peptides were affected by the type of protein and enzyme. The hydrolysates showed inhibitory activity against the growth of Esherichia coli and Bacillus cereus.