Curcumin-loaded, alginate-gelatin composite fibers for wound healing applications

Comparing the effectiveness of curcumin and papain in wound dresses based on chitosan nanoparticle

In this study, chitosan/curcumin (CS/Cur) and chitosan/papain (CS/Pa) nanoparticles were prepared and then characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential light scattering (DLS). Subsequently, release rate, porosity, swelling, degradability, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and cell viability tests were conducted to investigate and compare the healing potential of the nanoparticles for various types of wounds. The results of FTIR, XRD, and DLS indicated that the nanoparticles were manufactured correctly with a hydrodynamic diameter of 429 nm (CS/Cur) and 460 nm (CS/Pa), and zeta potential of 4.32 mV (CS/Cur) and 7.57 mV (CS/Pa). The release rate results indicated a higher release rate in a basic environment (pH 8.4) for curcumin, a higher release rate for papain in an acidic environment (pH 6.4), and the Korsmeyer-Peppas model for the release of curcumin and papain. The results indicated that CS/Cur with 41.6% antioxidant activity, high antibacterial effect, and cell growth up to 616% during 7 days, was more effective than CS/Pa. In comparison, CS/Pa (with a porosity of 70.5% and a swelling rate of 1392%) was more advantageous than CS/Cur in terms of porosity and swelling. In addition, CS/Cur was as effective as CS/Pa in terms of degradation and anti-inflammatory properties. In conclusion, the outcomes represented that the CS/Cur and CS/Pa nanoparticles improved wound healing, and each was suitable for specific wounds and wound healing stages.

Absorbable and biodegradable enzyme-crosslinked gelatin/alginate semi-IPN hydrogel wound dressings containing curcumin

Effective wound management presents a substantial financial and time-related obstacle for healthcare institutions. Enhancing healthcare involves implementing innovative wound treatment methods to minimize healing time and expenses. This study is centered on the development of a non-toxic wound dressing using only two natural polymers and an enzyme. By adding 10 % wt microbial transglutaminase, the mechanical properties of the dressing were improved. This formulation increased the swelling rate by 70 %, deswelling rate by 15 %, conversion rate by 9 %, and networking rate by 20 %. Additionally, the non-toxic dressing showed a cell viability rate of 106 %. In drug delivery tests, explosive release behavior was observed, which is advantageous for open wounds. Cell staining experiments were also carried out to evaluate wound behavior in terms of collagen formation, granulation, and inflammation. The results suggest that the optimized hydrogel has great potential as a wound dressing. Its excellent absorption, antioxidant, and biocompatibility characteristics enhance tissue granulation rate and reduce wound treatment time by half compared to conventional methods, while also minimizing scarring risk. This innovative treatment, which eliminates the need for frequent changes, is beneficial for both secondary intentions and severe open wounds requiring bottom-up healing.

Healing with herbs: an alliance with 'nano' for wound management

INTRODUCTION

Wound healing is an intricate and continual process influenced by numerous factors that necessitate suitable environments to attain healing. The natural ability of wound healing often gets altered by several external and intrinsic factors, leading to chronic wound occurrence. Numerous wound dressings have been developed; however, the currently available alternatives fail to coalesce in all conditions obligatory for rapid skin regeneration.

AREA COVERED

An extensive review of articles on herbal nano-composite wound dressings was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, from 2006 to 2024. This review entails the pathophysiology and factors leading to non-healing wounds, wound dressing types, the role of herbal bio-actives for wound healing, and the advantages of employing nanotechnology to deliver herbal actives. Numerous nano-composite wound dressings incorporated with phytoconstituents, herbal extracts, and essential oils are discussed.

EXPERT OPINION

There is a strong substantiation that several herbal bio-actives possess anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, analgesic, and angiogenesis promoter activities that accelerate the wound healing process. Nanotechnology is a promising strategy to deliver herbal bio-actives as it ascertains their controlled release, enhances bioavailability, improves permeability to underlying skin layers, and promotes wound healing. A combination of herbal actives and nano-based dressings offers a novel arena for wound management.

Electrospun nanofibers synthesized from polymers incorporated with bioactive compounds for wound healing

The development of innovative wound dressing materials is crucial for effective wound care. It's an active area of research driven by a better understanding of chronic wound pathogenesis. Addressing wound care properly is a clinical challenge, but there is a growing demand for advancements in this field. The synergy of medicinal plants and nanotechnology offers a promising approach to expedite the healing process for both acute and chronic wounds by facilitating the appropriate progression through various healing phases. Metal nanoparticles play an increasingly pivotal role in promoting efficient wound healing and preventing secondary bacterial infections. Their small size and high surface area facilitate enhanced biological interaction and penetration at the wound site. Specifically designed for topical drug delivery, these nanoparticles enable the sustained release of therapeutic molecules, such as growth factors and antibiotics. This targeted approach ensures optimal cell-to-cell interactions, proliferation, and vascularization, fostering effective and controlled wound healing. Nanoscale scaffolds have significant attention due to their attractive properties, including delivery capacity, high porosity and high surface area. They mimic the Extracellular matrix (ECM) and hence biocompatible. In response to the alarming rise of antibiotic-resistant, biohybrid nanofibrous wound dressings are gradually replacing conventional antibiotic delivery systems. This emerging class of wound dressings comprises biopolymeric nanofibers with inherent antibacterial properties, nature-derived compounds, and biofunctional agents. Nanotechnology, diminutive nanomaterials, nanoscaffolds, nanofibers, and biomaterials are harnessed for targeted drug delivery aimed at wound healing. This review article discusses the effects of nanofibrous scaffolds loaded with nanoparticles on wound healing, including biological (in vivo and in vitro) and mechanical outcomes.

Alginate-Based Encapsulation Fabrication Technique for Drug Delivery: An Updated Review of Particle Type, Formulation Technique, Pharmaceutical Ingredient, and Targeted Delivery System

Alginate is a natural biopolymer widely studied for pharmaceutical applications due to its biocompatibility, low toxicity, and mild gelation abilities. This review summarizes recent advances in alginate-based encapsulation systems for targeted drug delivery. Alginate formulations like microparticles, nanoparticles, microgels, and composites fabricated by methods including ionic gelation, emulsification, spray drying, and freeze drying enable tailored drug loading, enhanced stability, and sustained release kinetics. Alginate microspheres prepared by spray drying or ionic gelation provide gastric protection and colon-targeted release of orally delivered drugs. Alginate nanoparticles exhibit enhanced cellular uptake and tumor-targeting capabilities through the enhanced permeation and retention effect. Crosslinked alginate microgels allow high drug loading and controlled release profiles. Composite alginate gels with cellulose, chitosan, or inorganic nanomaterials display improved mechanical properties, mucoadhesion, and tunable release kinetics. Alginate-based wound dressings containing antimicrobial nanoparticles promote healing of burns and chronic wounds through sustained topical delivery. Although alginate is well-established as a pharmaceutical excipient, more extensive in vivo testing is needed to assess clinical safety and efficacy of emerging formulations prior to human trials. Future opportunities include engineered systems combining stimuli-responsiveness, active targeting, and diagnostic capabilities. In summary, this review discusses recent advances in alginate encapsulation techniques for oral, transdermal, and intravenous delivery, with an emphasis on approaches enabling targeted and sustained drug release for enhanced therapeutic outcomes.

The Fabrication of Polymer-Based Curcumin-Loaded Formulation as a Drug Delivery System: An Updated Review from 2017 to the Present

Turmeric contains curcumin, a naturally occurring compound with noted anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may help fight cancer. Curcumin is readily available, nontoxic, and inexpensive. At high doses, it has minimal side effects, suggesting it is safe for human use. However, curcumin has extremely poor bioavailability and biodistribution, which further hamper its clinical applications. It is commonly administered through oral and transdermal routes in different forms, where the particle size is one of the most common barriers that decreases its absorption through biological membranes on the targeted sites and limits its clinical effectiveness. There are many studies ongoing to overcome this problem. All of this motivated us to conduct this review that discusses the fabrication of polymer-based curcumin-loaded formulation as an advanced drug delivery system and addresses different approaches to overcoming the existing barriers and improving its bioavailability and biodistribution to enhance the therapeutic effects against cancer and other diseases.

Sequential starch modification by branching enzyme and 4-α-glucanotransferase improves retention of curcumin in starch-alginate beads

A new super-branched amylopectin with longer exterior chains was produced from normal maize starch by modification with branching enzyme followed by 4-α-glucanotransferase, and applied for co-entrapment of a curcumin-loaded emulsion in alginate beads. The network structure of the gel beads was obtained with Ca2+-cross-linked alginate and a modest load of retrograded starch. The dual enzyme modified starch contained more and longer α-1,6-linked branch chains than single enzyme modified and unmodified starches and showed superior resistance to digestive enzymes. Alginate beads with or without starch were of similar size (1.69-1.74 mm), but curcumin retention was improved 1.4-2.8-fold in the presence of different starches. Thus, subjecting the curcumin-loaded beads to in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion resulted in retention of 70, 43 and 22 % of the curcumin entrapped in the presence of modified, unmodified, or no starch, respectively. Molecular docking provided support for curcumin interacting with starch via hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic contacts and π-π stacking. The study highlights the potential of utilizing low concentration of dual-enzyme modified starch with alginate to create a versatile vehicle for controlled release and targeted delivery of bioactive compounds.

Production of anti-inflammatory films based on cashew gum polysaccharide and polyvinyl alcohol for wound dressing applications

In the present study, we aimed to produce CGP/PVA films containing entrapped anti-inflammatory drugs for wound dressing applications. Using a 33-1 fractional factorial design, the effect of each component was evaluated on the physicochemical and morphological properties of the produced materials. The best formulation for entrapment of diclofenac sodium and ketoprofen was also determined. The produced films presented high swelling capacity, with some formulations showing o porous structure. CGP/PVA films showed a maximum retention of 75.6% for diclofenac sodium and 32.2% for ketoprofen, and both drugs were released in a controlled manner for up to 7 h. The drug release kinetic was studied, and the data were fitted using a Korsmeyer-Peppas model, which suggested that the release mechanism is controlled by diffusion. These results indicate that CGP/PVA-based matrices have great potential to be used as drug-delivery systems for wound dressing applications, contributing to prolonging the drug's action time and then improving their anti-inflammatory efficacy.

Novel strategies for designing regenerative skin products for accelerated wound healing

Healthy skin protects from pathogens, water loss, ultraviolet rays, and also maintains homeostasis conditions along with sensory perceptions in normal circumstances. Skin wound healing mechanism is a multi-phased biodynamic process that ultimately triggers intercellular and intracellular mechanisms. Failure to implement the normal and effective healing process may result in chronic injuries and aberrant scarring. Chronic wounds lead to substantial rising healthcare expenditure, and innovative methods to diagnose and control severe consequences are urgently needed. Skin tissue engineering (STE) has achieved several therapeutic accomplishments during the last few decades, demonstrating tremendous development. The engineered skin substitutes provide instant coverage for extensive wounds and facilitate the prevention of microbial infections and fluid loss; furthermore, they help in fighting inflammation and allow rapid neo-tissue formation. The current review primarily focused on the wound recovery and restoration process and the current conditions of STE with various advancements and complexities associated with different strategies such as cell sources, biopolymers, innovative fabrication techniques, and growth factors delivery systems.

Thermally Treated Berberine-Loaded SA/PVA/PEO Electrospun Microfiber Membranes for Antibacterial Wound Dressings

This study aimed to develop a safe and advanced antibacterial material of electrospun microfiber membranes (MFMs) for wound dressings. Combinations of several materials were investigated; thermal treatment and electrospinning techniques were used to form the best quality of MFMs to suit its end applications. By comparing the fiber morphology, diameter changes, and fracture strength, the suitable ratio of raw materials and thermal treatment were obtained before and after adding Trition X-100 as a surfactant for MFMs of sodium alginate/polyvinyl alcohol/polyethylene oxide (SA/PVA/PEO). The electrospinning solution was mixed with berberine as an antibacterial substance; meanwhile, calcium chloride (CaCl₂) was used as the crosslinking agent. The antibacterial properties, water dissolution resistance, water content, and fracture strength were thoroughly investigated. The results showed that the antibacterial rates of MFMs with different mass fractions of berberine (0, 3, and 5 wt.%) to Escherichia coli (E. coli) were 14.7, 92.9, and 97.2%, respectively. The moisture content and fracture strength of MFMs containing 5 wt.% berberine were 72.0% and 7.8 MPa, respectively. In addition, the produced MFMs embodied great water dissolution resistance. Berberine-loaded SA/PVA/PEO MFMs could potentially serve as an antibacterial wound dressing substrate with low cost and small side effects.

Alginate as a Promising Biopolymer in Drug Delivery and Wound Healing: A Review of the State-of-the-Art

Biopolymeric nanoparticulate systems hold favorable carrier properties for active delivery. The enhancement in the research interest in alginate formulations in biomedical and pharmaceutical research, owing to its biodegradable, biocompatible, and bioadhesive characteristics, reiterates its future use as an efficient drug delivery matrix. Alginates, obtained from natural sources, are the colloidal polysaccharide group, which are water-soluble, non-toxic, and non-irritant. These are linear copolymeric blocks of α-(1→4)-linked l-guluronic acid (G) and β-(1→4)-linked d-mannuronic acid (M) residues. Owing to the monosaccharide sequencing and the enzymatically governed reactions, alginates are well-known as an essential bio-polymer group for multifarious biomedical implementations. Additionally, alginate’s bio-adhesive property makes it significant in the pharmaceutical industry. Alginate has shown immense potential in wound healing and drug delivery applications to date because its gel-forming ability maintains the structural resemblance to the extracellular matrices in tissues and can be altered to perform numerous crucial functions. The initial section of this review will deliver a perception of the extraction source and alginate’s remarkable properties. Furthermore, we have aspired to discuss the current literature on alginate utilization as a biopolymeric carrier for drug delivery through numerous administration routes. Finally, the latest investigations on alginate composite utilization in wound healing are addressed.

Promising Natural Products in New Drug Design, Development, and Therapy for Skin Disorders: An Overview of Scientific Evidence and Understanding Their Mechanism of Action

The skin is the largest organ in the human body, composed of the epidermis and the dermis. It provides protection and acts as a barrier against external menaces like allergens, chemicals, systemic toxicity, and infectious organisms. Skin disorders like cancer, dermatitis, psoriasis, wounds, skin aging, acne, and skin infection occur frequently and can impact human life. According to a growing body of evidence, several studies have reported that natural products have the potential for treating skin disorders. Building on this information, this review provides brief information about the action of the most important in vitro and in vivo research on the use of ten selected natural products in inflammatory, neoplastic, and infectious skin disorders and their mechanisms that have been reported to date. The related studies and articles were searched from several databases, including PubMed, Google, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect. Ten natural products that have been reported widely on skin disorders were reviewed in this study, with most showing anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer effects as the main therapeutic actions. Overall, most of the natural products reported in this review can reduce and suppress inflammatory markers, like tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS), induce cancer cell death through apoptosis, and prevent bacteria, fungal, and virus infections indicating their potentials. This review also highlighted the challenges and opportunities of natural products in transdermal/topical delivery systems and their safety considerations for skin disorders. Our findings indicated that natural products might be a low-cost, well-tolerated, and safe treatment for skin diseases. However, a larger number of clinical trials are required to validate these findings. Natural products in combination with modern drugs, as well as the development of novel delivery mechanisms, represent a very promising area for future drug discovery of these natural leads against skin disorders.

The Effects of Curcumin Nanoparticles Incorporated into Collagen-Alginate Scaffold on Wound Healing of Skin Tissue in Trauma Patients

Wound healing is a biological process that is mainly crucial for the rehabilitation of injured tissue. The incorporation of curcumin (Cur) into a hydrogel system is used to treat skin wounds in different diseases due to its hydrophobic character. In this study, sodium alginate and collagen, which possess hydrophilic, low toxic, and biocompatible properties, were utilized. Collagen/alginate scaffolds were synthesized, and nanocurcumin was incorporated inside them; their interaction was evaluated by FTIR spectroscopy. Morphological studies investigated structures of the samples studied by FE-SEM. The release profile of curcumin was detected, and the cytotoxic test was determined on the L929 cell line using an MTT assay. Analysis of tissue wound healing was performed by H&E staining. Nanocurcumin was spherical, its average particle size was 45 nm, and the structure of COL/ALG scaffold was visible. The cell viability of samples was recorded in cells after 24 h incubation. Results of in vivo wound healing remarkably showed CUR-COL/ALG scaffold at about 90% (p < 0.001), which is better than that of COL/ALG, 80% (p < 0.001), and the control 73.4% (p < 0.01) groups at 14 days/ The results of the samples’ FTIR indicated that nanocurcumin was well-entrapped into the scaffold, which led to improving the wound-healing process. Our results revealed the potential of nanocurcumin incorporated in COL/ALG scaffolds for the wound healing of skin tissue in trauma patients.

Development and Evaluation of Rifampicin Loaded Alginate-Gelatin Biocomposite Microfibers

Various systematic phases such as inflammation, tissue proliferation, and phases of remodeling characterize the process of wound healing. The natural matrix system is suggested to maintain and escalate these phases, and for that, microfibers were fabricated employing naturally occurring polymers (biopolymers) such as sodium alginate, gelatin and xanthan gum, and reinforcing material such as nanoclay was selected. The fabrication of fibers was executed with the aid of extrusion-gelation method. Rifampicin, an antibiotic, has been incorporated into a biopolymeric solution. RF1, RF2, RF3, RF4 and RF5 were coded as various formulation batches of microfibers. The microfibers were further characterized by different techniques such as SEM, DSC, XRD, and FTIR. Mechanical properties and physical evaluations such as entrapment efficiency, water uptake and in vitro release were also carried out to explain the comparative understanding of the formulation developed. The antimicrobial activity and whole blood clotting of fabricated fibers were additionally executed, hence they showed significant results, having excellent antimicrobial properties; they could be prominent carriers for wound healing applications.

Gelatine-based drug-eluting bandage contact lenses: Effect of PEGDA concentration and manufacturing technique

Drug-eluting bandage contact lenses (BCLs) have been widely studied as an alternative to eye drops due to their ability to increase the drug residence time and bioavailability as well as improve patient compliance. While silicone hydrogel polymers are commonly used in drug-eluting BCLs due to their transparency, mechanical properties and high oxygen permeability, gelatine hydrogels are also clear, flexible and have high oxygen permeability and may therefore be suitable contact lens materials. Moreover, the rheological properties of gelatine hydrogels allow their use as inks in extrusion-based 3D printers, therefore opening the door to a wide range of applications. Drug-loaded gelatine methacryloyl (GelMA) BCLs with different concentrations of poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) were prepared using solvent casting and 3D printing. The prepared lenses were characterised for their swelling ratio, in vitro degradation, and drug release properties. The results showed that the incorporation of 10% PEGDA improved the lenses' resistance to handling and protected them during degradation testing, reduced the swelling ratio and prolonged the release of dexamethasone (DEX). Both techniques were deemed suitable to use in the manufacturing of drug-eluting BCLs noting that the optimal formulation may vary according to the preparation technique utilised.

Medicinal plants and their components for wound healing applications

Background

Wound is an anatomical and functional disruption of the skin following an injury. In response to the injury, wound healing is a complex process of tissue repair or remodeling. Historically, plants and plant-based constituents have been extensively used for the treatment and management of different types of wounds. In the current times, different types of biopolymers are being researched for developing economical, sustainable, stable, and effective delivery system for the treatment of wounds.

Main text

The present review article attempts to enlist medicinal plants which have been reported to be effective in the treatment of wounds. Plant constituent-based wound dressings have also been discussed systematically including patented formulations reported by different inventors.

Conclusion

The compiled data aims to update the researchers/scientists which will be helpful in providing them a directional view in understanding the role and importance of plant-based components for the treatment and management of wounds.

Rifampicin-Loaded Alginate-Gelatin Fibers Incorporated within Transdermal Films as a Fiber-in-Film System for Wound Healing Applications

The various biological and molecular cascades including different stages or phases such as inflammation, tissue proliferation, and remodeling phases, which significantly define the wound healing process. The natural matrix system is suggested to increase and sustain these cascades. Biocompatible biopolymers, sodium alginate and gelatin, and a drug (Rifampicin) were used for the preparation of fibers into a physical crosslinking solution using extrusion-gelation. The formed fibers were then loaded in transdermal films for wound healing applications. Rifampicin, an antibiotic, antibacterial agent was incorporated into fibers and afterwards the fibers were loaded into transdermal films. Initially, rifampicin fibers were developed using biopolymers including alginate and gelatin, and were further loaded into polymeric matrix which led to the formation of transdermal films. The transdermal films were coded as TF1, TF2, TF3 and TF4.The characterization technique, FTIR, was used to describe molecular transitions within fibers, transdermal films, and was further corroborated using SEM and XRD. In mechanical properties, the parameters, such as tensile strength and elongation-at-break (extensibility), were found to be ranged between 2.32 ± 0.45 N/mm² to 14.32 ± 0.98 N/mm² and 15.2% ± 0.98% to 30.54% ± 1.08%. The morphological analysis firmed the development of fibers and fiber-loaded transdermal films. Additionally, physical evaluation such as water uptake study, water transmission rate, swelling index, moisture content, and moisture uptake study were executed to describe comparative interpretation of the formulations developed. In vivo studies were executed using a full thickness cutaneous wound healing model, the transdermal films developed showed higher degree of contraction, i.e., 98.85% ± 4.04% as compared to marketed formulation (Povidone). The fiber-in-film is a promising delivery system for loading therapeutic agents for effective wound care management.