Fibroblast Growth Stimulation by Henna Extract

Henna consists of the dried leaves of Lawsonia inermis (Lythraceae), a shrub cultivated in India, Ceylon and North Africa including Egypt. Henna contains a colouring matter, lawson (a hydroxynaphthoquinone), various coumarins, luteolin and its 7- O -glucoside, fats, resin and henna-tannin [1]. Henna has been used for centuries in many cultures, mainly as a dye for hair and nails as well as for decorative body painting. It is used both as a cosmetic agent to stain the hair, skin and nails and is applied to body on lesions in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis or fungal infections [2]. In this study, human amnion fibroblasts (HAFs) were used for cell culture study. The Neutral Red Assay was performed for this research. The absorbance was read at 550 nm. The absorbance values are correlated with the number of surviving cells [3]. The methanol extract of henna was investigated for its ability to stimulate the growth of HAFs. HAFs were taken with routine amniocentesis procedure from pregnants. A range of concentrations was studied and the extract was found to stimulate the growth of HAFs in vitro at 5µg/ml, 1µg/ml, 0.5 and 0.1µg/ml. Concentration (µg/ml) 100 50 10 5 1 0.5 0.1 Sample absorbance/Control absorbance