Antihistamine and Wound Healing Potential of Gold Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Bulbine frutescens (L.) Willd

Marizé Cuyler; Danielle Twilley; Velaphi C Thipe; Vusani Mandiwana; Michel L Kalombo; Suprakas S Ray; Rirhandzu Shamaine Rikhotso-Mbungela; Arno Janse van Vuuren; Will Coetsee; Kattesh V Katti; Namrita Lall

doi:10.2147/NSA.S445116

Antihistamine and Wound Healing Potential of Gold Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Bulbine frutescens (L.) Willd

Nanotechnol Sci Appl. 2024 Mar 13:17:59-76. doi: 10.2147/NSA.S445116. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0002, South Africa.
² Department of Radiology, Institute of Green Nanotechnology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA.
³ Chemical Cluster Centre for Nanostructures and Advanced Materials, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
⁴ DST/CSIR National Centre for Nanostructured Materials, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
⁵ Centre for High Transmission Electron Microscopy, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa.
⁶ Botanica Natural Products Pty (Ltd), Canterbury Farm MR 254, Alldays, Limpopo, 0909, South Africa.
⁷ School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
⁸ College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru, Karnataka, 570015, India.
⁹ Bio-Tech Research and Development Institute, University of the West Indies 770, Kingston, Jamaica.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is an inflammatory skin condition with synthetic treatments that induce adverse effects and are ineffective. One of the proposed causes for the development of the condition is the outside-in hypothesis, which states that eczema is caused by a disruption in the skin barrier. These disruptions include developing dry cracked skin, which promotes the production of histamine. Bulbine frutescens (BF) is traditionally used to treat wounds and eczema; however, limited research has been conducted to scientifically validate this. Furthermore, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been used to repair damaged skin; however, no research has been conducted on AuNPs synthesized using BF.

Purpose: The study aimed to determine whether BF alleviated skin damage through wound healing, reducing the production of histamine and investigate whether AuNPs synthesized using BF would enhance biological activity.

Methods: Four extracts and four synthesized AuNPs were prepared using BF and their antiproliferative and wound healing properties against human keratinocyte cells (HaCaT) were evaluated. Thereafter, the selected samples antiproliferative activity and antihistamine activity against phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulated granulocytes were evaluated.

Results: Of the eight samples, the freeze-dried leaf juice (BFE; p < 0.01) extract and its AuNPs (BFEAuNPs; p < 0.05) displayed significant wound closure at 100 µg/mL and were further evaluated. The selected samples displayed a fifty percent inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of >200 µg/mL against PMA stimulated granulocytes. Compared to the untreated (media with PMA) control (0.30 ± 0.02 ng/mL), BFEAuNPs significantly inhibited histamine production at a concentration of 100 (p < 0.01) and 50 µg/mL (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: BFE and BFEAuNPs stimulated wound closure, while BFEAuNPs significantly inhibited histamine production. Further investigation into BFEAuNPs in vivo wound healing activity and whether it can target histamine-associated receptors on mast cells as a potential mechanism of action should be considered.

Keywords: atopic dermatitis; histamine production; outside-in hypothesis; scratch assay.

Grants and funding

The authors report grant from the National Research Foundation (NRF) during the conduct of the study [grant number 98334].