Wound Healing Property of Curcuminoids as a Microcapsule-Incorporated Cream.

Lee Ang,Mun Yam,Kenny Gah Leong,Lip Por,Rhun Koh,Yusrida Darwis,Mei Yew

doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics11050205

Abstract

Curcuminoids have been used for the management of burns and wound healing in traditional Chinese medicine practices but the wide application of curcuminoids as a healing agent for wounds has always been a known problem due to their poor solubility, bioavailability, colour staining properties, as well as due to their intense photosensitivity and the need for further formulation approaches to maximise their various properties in order for them to considerably contribute towards the wound healing process. In the present study, a complex coacervation microencapsulation was used to encapsulate curcuminoids using gelatin B and chitosan. This study also focused on studying and confirming the potential of curcuminoids in a microencapsulated form as a wound healing agent. The potential of curcuminoids for wound management was evaluated using an in vitro human keratinocyte cell (HaCaT) model and the in vivo heater-inflicted burn wound model, providing evidence that the antioxidant activities of both forms of curcuminoids, encapsulated or not, are higher than those of butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene in trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) (DPPH) studies. However, curcuminoids did not have much impact towards cell migration and proliferation in comparison with the negative control in the in vitro HaCaT study. The micoencapsulation formulation was shown to significantly influence wound healing in terms of increasing the wound contraction rate, hydroxyproline synthesis, and greater epithelialisation, which in turn provides strong justification for the incorporation of the microencapsulated formulation of curcuminoids as a topical treatment for burns and wound healing management as it has the potential to act as a crucial wound healing agent in healthcare settings.

Highlights

A wound can be defined as a physical rupture at the epithelial integrity of the skin
The results showed that microencapsulation does not influence the antioxidant capacity of curcuminoids
This study demonstrated that the antioxidant activity and DPPH scavenging effect of curcuminoids and curcuminoids microcapsule were much higher compared to BHT and BHA

Summary

Introduction

A wound can be defined as a physical rupture at the epithelial integrity of the skin. The wound healing process comprises of a series of overlapping phases, namely the inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling phase [1]. The healing process often starts with the inflammation phase of the wound, with edema, erythema, heat, and pain as its accompanying characteristics. With the macrophages at work, the proliferative phase begins, which consists of the migration of fibroblasts, the deposition of the extracellular matrix, and the formation of the granulation tissue. The remodeling phase is initiated concurrently with the development of granulation tissue, and the process continues over a prolonged period. Contraction and epithelialisation occurs, in which tissue structures are being organised, leading to the increase of the integrity and tensile strength of the wound [2]

Methods

Results

Conclusion