Fumaria officinalis-loaded chitosan nanoparticles dispersed in an alginate hydrogel promote diabetic wounds healing by upregulating VEGF, TGF-β, and b-FGF genes: A preclinical investigation

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.

Emerging Trends in the Treatment of Skin Disorders by Herbal Drugs: Traditional and Nanotechnological Approach

Since the earliest days, people have been employing herbal treatments extensively around the world. The development of phytochemical and phytopharmacological sciences has made it possible to understand the chemical composition and biological properties of a number of medicinal plant products. Due to certain challenges like large molecular weight and low bioavailability, some components of herbal extracts are not utilized for therapeutic purposes. It has been suggested that herbal medicine and nanotechnology can be combined to enhance the benefits of plant extracts by lowering dosage requirements and adverse effects and increasing therapeutic activity. Using nanotechnology, the active ingredient can be delivered in an adequate concentration and transported to the targeted site of action. Conventional therapy does not fulfill these requirements. This review focuses on different skin diseases and nanotechnology-based herbal medicines that have been utilized to treat them.

How the combination of alginate and chitosan can fabricate a hydrogel with favorable properties for wound healing

Wound management has always been a significant concern, particularly for men, and the search for effective wound dressings has led to the emergence of hydrogels as a promising solution. In recent years, hydrogels, with their unique properties, have gained considerable importance in wound management. Among the various types of hydrogels, those incorporating chitosan and alginate, two distinct chemical materials, have shown potential in accelerating wound healing. This review aims to discuss the desirable characteristics of an effective wound dressing, explore the alginate/chitosan-based hydrogels developed by different researchers, and analyze their effects on wound healing through in vitro and in vivo assessments. In vitro tests encompass a wide range of evaluations, including swelling capacity, degradation rate, porosity, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, moisture vapor transmission rate, release studies, mechanical properties, microscopic observation, antibacterial properties, compatibility assessment, cell adhesion investigation, blood clotting capability, cell migration analysis, water contact angle determination, and structural stability. Furthermore, in vivo assessments encompass the examination of wound closure rate, modulation of gene expression, as well as histopathological and immunohistochemical studies.

Biomaterials for immunomodulation in wound healing

The substantial economic impact of non-healing wounds, scarring, and burns stemming from skin injuries is evident, resulting in a financial burden on both patients and the healthcare system. This review paper provides an overview of the skin's vital role in guarding against various environmental challenges as the body's largest protective organ and associated developments in biomaterials for wound healing. We first introduce the composition of skin tissue and the intricate processes of wound healing, with special attention to the crucial role of immunomodulation in both acute and chronic wounds. This highlights how the imbalance in the immune response, particularly in chronic wounds associated with underlying health conditions such as diabetes and immunosuppression, hinders normal healing stages. Then, this review distinguishes between traditional wound-healing strategies that create an optimal microenvironment and recent peptide-based biomaterials that modulate cellular processes and immune responses to facilitate wound closure. Additionally, we highlight the importance of considering the stages of wounds in the healing process. By integrating advanced materials engineering with an in-depth understanding of wound biology, this approach holds promise for reshaping the field of wound management and ultimately offering improved outcomes for patients with acute and chronic wounds.

Facile fabrication and biological investigations of metal oxides intercalated in kaolinite clay-based dressing material to improve wound healing ability in nursing care after post-operative period

The present investigation aims to design and development of hybrid zinc oxide (ZnO) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) nanoparticles (NPs) doped-biopolymer matrix-based cost-effective technique for the synthesis of biocompatible Kaolinite/Chitosan (Ka/CS) nanocomposites (NCs) could be used as agents for wound healing due to their efficiency and low toxicity. The crystallite size, phase purity and surface morphology of the synthesised NCs were investigated systemic analytical methods. The results revealed that the metal oxide nanocomposites presented that in rod-crystalline in shape and additionally exhibits that 20-30 nm in size. In vitro antibacterial analyses demonstrates that NCs have significantly improved bactericidal inhibition efficiency when compared to the bare hybrid NPs and polymeric components. The in vitro biocompatibility observation demonstrates that prepared hybrid-NPs encapsulated NCs have enhanced cell survival rate (>90 %), which was established by MTT assay and Live/Dead fluorescence assay methods at different incubation time. The DPPH assay was used to investigate the synergistic effects of prepared dressing materials increased antioxidant activity. Preliminary research indicates that these nanocomposites, ZnO/MnO2 incorporated and decorated with Ka/CS NCs, could be a significant promoter and potential candidate for use as a robust wound healing agent in post-operative nursing care.