Title: Design and Fabrication of eugenol microemulsion based nanotherapeutics – Future perspectives and clinical significance in treating diabetic foot ulcers

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is an increasingly chronic and execrable disease that has obtained an epidemic proportion worldwide. India carries 25% of a considerable share in the global diabetes burden. Diabetic wounds remain a major health problem and affects approximately 35% of diabetic patients resulting in lower limb amputation with rapid psychosocial and economic costs. The accelerated hyperglycemic environment promotes biofilm formation trending with Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in chronic wounds. Researchers have designed potential products ranging from saline to skin substitutes for treating chronic wounds. However, it is of great clinical significance to deeply explore on topical application of innovative bioactive materials for the amelioration of effective blood circulation and angiogenic responses to ulcerated wound area. The purpose of this study is to fabricate a nanoscaffold using growth factor impregnated eugenol microemulsion core-sheath nanofibers (CSNs) for treating diabetic wounds in streptozotocin-induced Wistar rats.

Methodology and theoretical orientation: The structural surface and internal morphology, predominant functional groups, crystalline nature, and mechanical characteristics of CSNs have been studied. The antibacterial efficacy of CSNs was evaluated against pathogenic microbial strains. The biosafety cytotoxicity profiles of CSNs have been evaluated. Percentage of wound contraction, quantitative formation of fibroblast, and collagen deposition in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rodent models have been determined.

Findings: The growth factor impregnated CSNs/skin scaffolds exhibited excellent mechanical characteristics and sustained/controlled mode of silver ion release in the simulated wound fluids. The fabricated CSNs demonstrated strong antimicrobial efficacy against susceptible strains and dominant diabetic wound healing efficiency in streptozotocin-induced experimental rodent models.

Conclusion & Significance: Eugenol impregnated nano scaffolds could be the best alternative as potential nanomedicine with excellent anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties for treating diabetic wounds in clinical practice. Regeneration of hair follicles and efficiency of skin recovery modalities is one of the major concerns in the case of non-healing chronic ulcers.

Biography:

Lakshimipriya Sethuram is a Senior research fellow at the Vellore Institute of Technology, India. She received her Senior research fellowship (SRF) from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India in 2020. Her research mainly focuses on the design and fabrication of nanomaterials for the treatment of acute and chronic wound healing applications. She is enthusiastic and passionate about exploring new innovations in skin regeneration and tissue engineering approaches (especially in chronic wounds) in order to deal with today's challenges in chronic wound care. She has published her research outcomes in peer-reviewed international scientific journals. Her recent work has been published as a front cover page entitled "A review on contemporary nanomaterial-based therapeutics for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) with special reference to Indian Scenario" in Nanoscale Advances (Royal Society of Chemistry). She was awarded Research Excellence Award in 2020 from InSC Scholars (International Accurate Certification).