The use of specially designed wound dressings could be an important alternative to facilitate the healing process of wounds in the hyperglycemic state. Biocompatible dressings combining chitosan and alginate can speed up wound healing by modulating the inflammatory phase, stimulating fibroblast proliferation, and aiding in remodeling phases. However, this biomaterial has not yet been explored in chronic and acute lesions of diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of topical treatment with a chitosan-alginate membrane on acute skin wounds of hyperglycemic mice. Diabetes mellitus was induced by streptozotocin (60 mg · kg-1 · day-1 for 5 days, intraperitoneally) and the cutaneous wound was performed by removing the epidermis using a surgical punch. The results showed that after 10 days of treatment the chitosan and alginate membrane (CAM) group exhibited better organization of collagen fibers. High concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were detected in the first and second days of treatment. G-CSF and TNF-α level decreased after 5 days, as well as the concentrations of TNF-α and IL-10 compared with the control group (CG). In this study, the inflammatory phase of cutaneous lesions of hyperglycemic mice was modulated by the use of CAM, mostly regarding the cytokines IL-1α, IL-1β, TNF-α, G-CSF, and IL-10, resulting in better collagen III deposition. However, further studies are needed to better understand the healing stages associated with CAM use.
This work focuses on the mathematical analysis of the controlled release of a standardized extract of A. chica from chitosan/alginate (C/A) membranes, which can be used for the treatment of skin lesions. Four different types of C/A membranes were tested: a dense membrane (CA), a dense and flexible membrane (CAS), a porous membrane (CAP) and a porous and flexible membrane (CAPS). The Arrabidae chica extract release profiles were obtained experimentally in vitro using PBS at 37 °C and pH 7. Experimental data of release kinetics were analyzed using five classical models from the literature: Zero Order, First Order, Higuchi, Korsmeyer–Peppas and Weibull functions. Results for the Korsmeyer–Peppas model showed that the release of A. chica extract from four membrane formulations was by a diffusion through a partially swollen matrix and through a water filled network mesh; however, the Weibull model suggested that non-porous membranes (CA and CAS) had fractal geometry and that porous membranes (CAP and CAPS) have highly disorganized structures. Nevertheless, by applying an explicit optimization method that employs a cost function to determine the model parameters that best fit to experimental data, the results indicated that the Weibull model showed the best simulation for the release profiles from the four membranes: CA, CAS and CAP presented Fickian diffusion through a polymeric matrix of fractal geometry, and only the CAPS membrane showed a highly disordered matrix. The use of this cost function optimization had the significant advantage of higher fitting sensitivity.
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