Cerium Oxide Nanoparticle-Loaded Gelatin Methacryloyl\nHydrogel Wound-Healing Patch with Free Radical Scavenging Activity

Abstract

Nonhealing\nwounds in diabetic patients are a critical challenge,\nwhich often cause amputation and mortality. High levels of oxidative\nstress and aberrations in antioxidant defense mechanisms increase\nthe adverse manifestations of diabetes mellitus. In this study, we\ndeveloped a biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel patch\nincorporated with cerium oxide nanoparticles (CONPs) for promoting\ndiabetic wound healing. The patches were thoroughly characterized\nfor the morphology, physicomechanical properties, free radical scavenging\nactivity, <i>in vitro</i> cell proliferation, and <i>in vivo</i> diabetic wound healing activity. Highly porous and\nbiodegradable patches showed excellent exudate uptake capacity as\nevident from the many-fold weight gain (400–700 times) when\nplaced in aqueous medium. Results of free radical scavenging assays\nclearly indicated that the patches loaded with 1–4% w/w CONPs\ncould effectively inactivate experimentally generated free radicals.\nObtained results of <i>in vitro</i> cell culture studies\nclearly indicated that CONP-incorporated patches could favor the proliferation\nof skin-associated cells such as keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Results\nof the wound healing study showed that 1% w/w CONP-loaded patches\ncould effectively improve the healing of wounds in diabetic rats.\nOverall results indicate that CONP-loaded GelMA hydrogels are highly\npromising materials for developing clinically relevant patches for\ntreating diabetic wounds.