Nanocarrier-based systems for wound healing

Use of nano-enabled approaches to advance acupuncture therapy for disease management

Acupuncture is an ancient form of therapy, which has long been part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM); however, its use has spread globally, to the point where it is currently practiced worldwide. Although metal needles continue to be used most commonly, through multidisciplinary research, novel technologies, including nanotechnology, have allowed acupuncture to evolve to the point of achieving greater efficiency and more sophisticated functions in clinical practice. We summarized recent advancements in the literature using nano-enabled strategies to create novel needles that enhance and expand their therapeutic effects and found that nanotechnology may help provide new evidence to verify acupuncture theory, improve the features of acupuncture needles and their clinical effects by combining with drug delivery, and even enable new therapeutic methods when combined with acupuncture needles. The use of nano-technology with acupuncture delivery looks very promising for potential clinical applications. We also envisage that with nanotechnology, innovations in acupuncture needles could generate a multi-functional toolbox for use in both diagnostic and therapeutic medicine. Such new types of acupuncture needles could be used at acupoints and data collected to guide the planning of clinical trials may be more consistent with acupuncture theory and traditional clinical applications of this therapeutic modality.

Graphene Oxide/Gelatin Nanofibrous Scaffolds Loaded with N-Acetyl Cysteine for Promoting Wound Healing

Purpose

We aimed to develop an antioxidant dressing material with pro-angiogenic potential that could promote wound healing. Gelatin (Gel) was selected to improve the biocompatibility of the scaffolds, while graphene oxide (GO) was added to enhance their mechanical property. The loaded N-Acetyl cysteine (NAC) was performing the effect of scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the wound site.

Materials and Methods

The physicochemical and mechanical properties, NAC releases, and biocompatibility of the NAC-GO-Gel scaffolds were evaluated in vitro. The regeneration capability of the scaffolds was systemically investigated in vivo using the excisional wound-splinting model in mice.

Results

The NAC-GO-Gel scaffold had a stronger mechanical property and sustainer NAC release ability than the single Gel scaffold, which resulted in a better capacity for cell proliferation and migration. Mice wound-splinting models revealed that the NAC-GO-Gel scaffold effectively accelerated wound healing, promoted re-epithelialization, enhanced neovascularization, and reduced scar formation.

Conclusion

The NAC-GO-Gel scaffold not only promotes wound healing but also reduces scar formation, showing a great potential application for the repair of skin defects.

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic) Acid (PLGA) Nanoparticles and Transdermal Drug Delivery: An Overview

BACKGROUND

Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles have garnered pharmaceutical industry attention throughout the past decade. PLGA [Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)] is an excellent biodegradable polymer explored for the preparation of nanoparticles that are administered through various routes like intravenous and transdermal. PLGA's versatility makes it a good choice for the preparation of nanoparticles.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of this review paper was to summarize methods of preparation and characterization of PLGA nanoparticles along with their role in the transdermal delivery of various therapeutic agents.

METHODS

A literature survey for the present review paper was done using various search engines like Pubmed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct.

RESULTS

In comparison to traditional transdermal administration systems, PLGA nanoparticles have demonstrated several benefits in preclinical investigations, including fewer side effects, low dosage frequency, high skin permeability, and simplicity of application.

CONCLUSION

PLGA nanoparticles can be considered efficient nanocarriers for the transdermal delivery of drugs. Nevertheless, the clinical investigation of PLGA nanoparticles for the transdermal administration of therapeutic agents remains a formidable obstacle.

Recent Advances in Honey-Based Nanoparticles for Wound Dressing: A Review

Wounds with impaired healing, including delayed acute injuries and chronic injuries, generally fail to progress through normal healing stages. A deeper understanding of the biochemical processes involved in chronic wound cures is necessary to correct the microenvironmental imbalances in the wound treatment designs of products. The therapeutic benefits of honey, particularly its antimicrobial activity, make it a viable option for wound treatment in a variety of situations. Integration with nanotechnology has opened up new possibilities not only for wound healing but also for other medicinal applications. In this review, recent advances in honey-based nanoparticles for wound healing are discussed. This also covers the mechanism of the action of nanoparticles in the wound healing process and perspectives on the challenges and future trends of using honey-based nanoparticles. The underlying mechanisms of wound healing using honey are believed to be attributed to hydrogen peroxide, high osmolality, acidity, non-peroxide components, and phenols. Therefore, incorporating honey into various wound dressings has become a major trend due to the increasing demand for combination dressings in the global wound dressing market because these dressings contain two or more types of chemical and physical properties to ensure optimal functionality. At the same time, their multiple features (low cost, biocompatibility, and swelling index) and diverse fabrication methods (electrospun fibres, hydrogels, etc.) make them a popular choice among researchers.

Tiny tots for a big-league in wound repair: Tools for tissue regeneration by nanotechniques of today

Overall, chronic injuries place considerable burden on patients and health systems. The skin injuries are exposed to inflammatory bacteria and hinder the healing process. The skin being the biggest tissue of the whole body ensures protection against microbial invasion, dehydration, and against chemical, thermal, bright radiations and mechanical agents. When injured, the skin loses its defensive purpose and the attack of bacterial types arises with the loss of protein, water, and electrolytes. Improved wound closure therapy helps to restore normal skin function by managing wounds with the help of a suitable skin replacement. According to the type of wound and its healing ability, an appropriate skin replacement system must be identified. Nanofibrous layers because of their permeable structure, their large superficial reach and their similarity with the local extracellular network serve as cutaneous substitution for dealing with deep and superficial injuries. By a diminished microbial load without infestation, scab formation and infiltration of defense cells in the initial phase, acute injuries are usually characterized. Here recovery is related with epithelialization, angiogenesis and relocation of fibroblasts. The wound becomes obstinate when microbial biofilms are developed while the immune system does not manage to eliminate the infection. Increased inflammatory process, lower deep tissue oxygenation, fibrin cuffs, fibroblastic senescence, altered angiogenesis, stalled re-epithelialization and chronic infection have been visualized. Conventional wound mending treatments for the most part falling flat to supply a great clinical result, either basically like wound epithelialization and regulation of fluid loss or practically like histological highlights that decide versatility, strength, affectability, etc. Conventional wound therapies commonly fail to offer a better medical output, like wound epithelialization and regulation of fluid reduction or physiologically like cellular features that determine durability, sensitivity, elasticity, etc. Nanotechnology may be a dependable investigation space for wound-healing treatments through their versatile physicochemical properties. Advancing nano platforms with novel solutions for curing chronicdiabetic wounds are discussed in detail that can guide further research in this sector.

Leveraging Potential of Nanotherapeutics in Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcer

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are the most common complications associated with diabetes mellitus. DFUs are displayed as open sores or wounds located on the bottom of the foot as a secondary complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). DFUs are associated with significant morbidity and mortality and can subsequently lead to hospitalization and lower limb amputation if not recognized and treated on time. An immense challenge to conventional treatments is caused by the chronic nature of diabetic foot syndrome and it has led to the emergence of nanotechnology-based therapeutics. The greatest advantages of these nanotherapeutics are their unique biological, chemical, and physical properties. The present review highlights the augmentation of bacterial infections relating to delayed healing of DFUs and the potential of nanotherapeutics such as polymeric nanoparticles, metallic nanoparticles, siRNA-based nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles, and nanofibers in accelerating wound healing in diabetic foot ulcers.

3D Bio-printing For Skin Tissue Regeneration: Hopes and Hurdles

Abstract:

For many years, discovering the appropriate methods for the treatment of skin irritation has been challenging for specialists and researchers. Bio-printing can be extensively applied to address the demand for proper skin substitutes to improve skin damage. Nowadays, to make more effective bio-mimicking of natural skin, many research teams have developed cell-seeded bio-inks for bioprinting of skin substitutes. These loaded cells can be single or co-cultured in these structures. The present review gives a comprehensive overview of the methods, substantial parameters of skin bioprinting, examples of in vitro and in vivo studies, and current advances and challenges for skin tissue engineering.

Understanding the Potential Role and Delivery Approaches of Nitric Oxide in Chronic Wound Healing Management

Nitric oxide (NO) is a promising pharmaceutical component that has vasodilator, anti-bacterial, and wound healing activities. Chronic ulcers are non-healing disorders that are generally associated with distortion of lower limbs. Among the severe consequence derivatives of these diseases are the problems of chronic wound progression. NO, which is categorized as the smallest gaseous neurotransmitter, has beneficial effects in different phases of chronic inflammation. The defensive mechanism of NO is found useful in several severe conditions, such as gestational healing, gastrointestinal healing, and diabetic healing. The current review presents an updated collection of literature about the role of NO in chronic ulcers due to the prevalence of diabetes, DPN, and diabetic foot ulcers, and because of the lack of available effective treatments to directly address the pathology contributing to these conditions, novel treatments are being sought. This review also collects information about deficiency of NO synthase in diabetic patients, leading to a lack of vascularization of the peripheral nerves, which causes diabetic neuropathy, and this could be treated with vasodilators such as nitric oxide. Apart from the pharmacological mechanism of NO, the article also reviewed and analyzed to elucidate the potential of transdermal delivery of NO for the treatment of chronic ulcers.

Biopolymeric, Nanopatterned, Fibrous Carriers for Wound Healing Applications

Background:

Any sort of wound injury leads to skin integrity and further leads to wound formation. Millions of deaths are reported every year, which contributes to an economical hamper world widely, this accounts for 10% of death rate that insight into various diseases.

Current Methodology:

Rapid wound healing plays an important role in effective health care. Wound healing is a multi-factorial physiological process, which helps in the growth of new tissue to render the body with the imperative barrier from the external environment. The complexity of this phenomenon makes it prone to several abnormalities. Wound healing, as a normal biological inherent process occurs in the body, which is reaped through four highly defined programmed phases, such as hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling and these phases occur in the proper progression. An overview, types, and classification of wounds along with the stages of wound healing and various factors affecting wound healing have been discussed systematically. Various biopolymers are reported for developing nanofibers and microfibers in wound healing, which can be used as a therapeutic drug delivery for wound healing applications. Biopolymers are relevant for biomedical purposes owing to biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non- toxicity. Biopolymers such as polysaccharides, proteins and various gums are used for wound healing applications. Patents and future perspectives have been given in the concluding part of the manuscript. Overall, applications of biopolymers in the development of fibers and their applications in wound healing are gaining interest in researchers to develop modified biopolymers and tunable delivery systems for effective management and care of different types of wounds.

Wound Healing Activity of Nanoclay/Spring Water Hydrogels

BACKGROUND

hydrogels prepared with natural inorganic excipients and spring waters are commonly used in medical hydrology. Design of these clay-based formulations continues to be a field scarcely addressed. Safety and wound healing properties of different fibrous nanoclay/spring water hydrogels were addressed.

METHODS

in vitro biocompatibility, by means of MTT assay, and wound healing properties were studied. Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy was used to study the morphology of fibroblasts during the wound healing process.

RESULTS

all the ingredients demonstrated to be biocompatible towards fibroblasts. Particularly, the formulation of nanoclays as hydrogels improved biocompatibility with respect to powder samples at the same concentration. Spring waters and hydrogels were even able to promote in vitro fibroblasts motility and, therefore, accelerate wound healing with respect to the control.

CONCLUSION

fibrous nanoclay/spring water hydrogels proved to be skin-biocompatible and to possess a high potential as wound healing formulations. Moreover, these results open new prospects for these ingredients to be used in new therapeutic or cosmetic formulations.

One-step preparation of ibuprofen fast- and sustained-release formulation by electrospinning with improved efficacy and reduced side effect

In this study, we developed a one-step method to prepare ibuprofen fast- and sustained-release complex preparation. It was based on a double jets electrospinning process. Ibuprofen, a poorly water-soluble drug, was electrospun into fibers with polyvinyl pyrrolidone and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose by two jets, respectively. The complex preparation had an enough initial dose come from fast-release part and a maintenance dose come from sustained-release part. Through the study of X-ray diffraction, differential scanning colorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), it was confirmed that ibuprofen was highly dispersed in nanofibers (NFs) in amorphous state. Because one line of NFs was very thin and could only extend along two directions, it was difficult for ibuprofen to transform from amorphous to crystal in this kind of approximate one-dimensional structure. Additionally, it was confirmed by animal experiment that the complex preparation also had a benefit to reduce gastric irritation that usually caused by traditional oral ibuprofen preparation. Therefore, the method developed in this study was a convenient and good-quality approach for ibuprofen pain-alleviating preparation.