Gas-injection of gold nanoparticles and anti-oxidants promotes diabetic wound healing

Abstract

Diabetic ulcers and unhealed bedsores have resulted in serious complications all around the world. Anti-oxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has been proved beneficial in diabetic studies. However, the low bioavailability of EGCG is always a problem for human application. In this study, topical gas-injection of a EGCG and gold nanoparticle (AuNP) liquid mixture (AuE) using the GNT GoldMed™ Liquid Drug Delivery System significantly accelerated the wound healing on wild-type and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mouse skin. Immunoblotting of the diabetic wound tissue showed a significant increase of the vascular endothelial cell growth factor on day 7 and the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase expression from day 3 to day 7. Furthermore, the epidermal growth factor receptor and collagen I & III protein expression both increased significantly in the wound area. After gas-injection of the AuE liquid, hyaluronic acid (HA) expression also significantly increased on day 7 as measured by immunohistochemistry analysis. In conclusion, gas-injection of AuE significantly increases the rate of wound healing both in wild-type and diabetic mice. This study may provide a new approach for improving the EGCG bioavailability on diabetic wounds.