Examining the wound healing potential of curcumin-infused electrospun nanofibers from polyglutamic acid and gum arabic

Cuilin Cheng; Rongchun Wang; Jiapei Ma; Yingchun Zhang; Qiuju Jing; Weihong Lu

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131237

Examining the wound healing potential of curcumin-infused electrospun nanofibers from polyglutamic acid and gum arabic

Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Mar 28;267(Pt 1):131237. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131237. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Cuilin Cheng¹, Rongchun Wang², Jiapei Ma³, Yingchun Zhang⁴, Qiuju Jing⁵, Weihong Lu⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Nutrition and Health, School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China; Chongqing Research Institute of HIT, Chongqing, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthesis, Transformation and Separation of Extreme Environmental Nutrients, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China. Electronic address: ccuilin@hit.edu.cn.
² Department of Food Nutrition and Health, School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China; Zhengzhou Research Institute of HIT, Zhengzhou, China; Chongqing Research Institute of HIT, Chongqing, China. Electronic address: wangrongchun@hit.edu.cn.
³ Department of Food Nutrition and Health, School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China.
⁴ Department of Food Nutrition and Health, School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China; Zhengzhou Research Institute of HIT, Zhengzhou, China; Chongqing Research Institute of HIT, Chongqing, China.
⁵ Horticultural Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150069, China.
⁶ Department of Food Nutrition and Health, School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China; Zhengzhou Research Institute of HIT, Zhengzhou, China; Chongqing Research Institute of HIT, Chongqing, China. Electronic address: lwh@hit.edu.cn.

PMID: 38554903
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131237

Abstract

Advancements in medicine have led to continuous enhancements and innovations in wound dressing materials, making them pivotal in medical care. We used natural biological macromolecules, γ-polyglutamic acid and gum arabic as primary raw materials to create nanofibers laden with curcumin by blending electrostatic spinning technology in the current investigation. These nanofibers were meticulously characterized using fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Our comprehensive analyses confirmed the successful encapsulation of curcumin within the nanofiber carrier and it has uniform diameter, good water absorption and mechanical properties. Subsequently, we evaluated the antimicrobial effects of these curcumin-loaded nanofibers against Staphylococcus aureus through an oscillating flask method. We created a mouse model with acute full-thickness skin defects to further investigate the wound healing potential. We conducted various biochemical assays to elucidate the mechanism of action. The results revealed that curcumin nanofibers profoundly impacted wound healing. They bolstered the expression of TGF-β1 and VEGF and reduced the expression of inflammatory factors, leading to an accelerated re-epithelialization process, enhanced wound contraction, and increased regeneration of new blood vessels and hair follicles. Furthermore, these nanofibers positively influenced the proportion of three different collagen types. This comprehensive study underscores the remarkable potential of curcumin-loaded nanofibers to facilitate wound healing and lays a robust experimental foundation for developing innovative, natural product-based wound dressings.

Keywords: Antibacterial; Curcumin; Electrospinning dressings; Physically characterize; Skin healing.