Controlled release of an extract of Calendula officinalis flowers from a system based on the incorporation of gelatin-collagen microparticles into collagen I scaffolds: design and in vitro performance

Abstract

Aiming to develop biological skin dresses with improved performance in the treatment of skin wounds, acellular collagen I scaffolds were modified with polymeric microparticles and the subsequent loading of a hydroglycolic extract of Calendula officinalis flowers. Microparticles made of gelatin-collagen were produced by a water-in-oil emulsion/cross-linking method. Thereafter, these microparticles were mixed with collagen suspensions at three increasing concentrations and the resulting mixtures lyophilized to make microparticle-loaded porous collagen scaffolds. Resistance to enzymatic degradation, ability to associate with the C. officinalis extract, and the extract release profile of the three gelatin-collagen microparticle-scaffold prototypes were assessed in vitro and compared to collagen scaffolds without microparticles used as control. Data indicated that the incorporation of gelatin-collagen microparticles increased the resistance of the scaffolds to in vitro enzymatic degradation, as well as their association with the C. officinalis flower extract. In addition, a sharp decrease in cytotoxicity, as well as more prolonged release of the extract, was attained. Overall results support the potential of these systems to develop innovative dermal substitutes with improved features. Furthermore, the gelatin-collagen mixture represents a low-cost and scalable alternative with high clinical transferability, especially appealing in developing countries.

Collagen/Gelatin/Hydroxyethyl Cellulose Composites Containing Microspheres Based on Collagen and Gelatin: Design and Evaluation

“…Another important observation is that the effectiveness of loading extract in the case of gelatin microsphere-loaded matrices was the highest (about 133 mg/g) and it was two times more than that of the sample without microspheres. It seems that it is a feature conferred by gelatin, which usually displays higher swelling capacity than collagen [7,46]. Col/gel/hec (gel) matrices contained the largest amount of gelatin in the structure and this in turn increased the loading capacity of materials.…”

“…Additionally, it was noted that the greater concentration of loaded polyphenols in the matrices, the slower the release rate. With the addition of microspheres, we observed the significant decrease of porosity and this in turn hindered diffusion phenomena, especially from the inner portions of the construct [7]. Col/gel/hec matrices containing gel microspheres had the lowest degree of porosity and the lowest cumulative release of polyphenols.…”

“…Jiménez et al successfully prepared collagen-gelatin microparticle-loaded collagen scaffolds using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking agent. The results indicated that the obtained materials exhibited a porous structure with porosity greater than 90% and mean pore size of about 174 µm, which can be useful in tissue engineering to improve the skin regeneration process [7]. Lee et al obtained 3D collagen/chitosan/glycosaminoglycan scaffolds in combination with transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1)-loaded chitosan microspheres, and their results expanded the feasibility of combinative strategies for controlled drug release and tissue-engineered cartilage formations [8].…”

Graphene Oxide/Gelatin Nanofibrous Scaffolds Loaded with N-Acetyl Cysteine for Promoting Wound Healing

“… 17 , 18 In addition, gelatin-based biomaterials could be used as a drug delivery system for specific therapeutic molecules. 19–21 However, the poor mechanical properties of gelatin dressings limit their wide application.…”

Food additive based on the encapsulated pot marigold ( Calendula officinalis L.) flowers extract in calcium alginate microparticles

“…Until now, the encapsulation of polyphenols from pot marigold flowers was performed in the solid lipid nanoparticles, niosomes (Un et al, 2015), and collagen-gelatin microspheres (Jimenez et al, 2015;Kozlowska et al, 2019) to improve their physicochemical properties and pharmacological activity. Rad et al (2019) encapsulated the extract of pot marigold flowers in nanofibers composed of poly(εcaprolactone), zein, and gum arabic.…”