Synergistic Tamra-Yasad Bhasma and cinnamaldehyde nano-shield hydrogels for diabetic wound repair

Abstract

Around 100 million individuals with diabetes in India are at risk of developing diabetic wounds in their lifetime. These wounds cause severe reductions in the quality of life of patients due to increased economic burden and risk of limb amputations. Indigenous wound dressings offer cost-effective solutions for the management and healing of such wounds. Loading of bioactive formulations in passive dressing material has led to successful intervention in hampered wound healing cascades. The role of traditional wound healing formulations, such as aloe vera, turmeric, and cinnamon oil extracts loaded in hydrogels, hydrocolloids, sponges and other dressing materials, has been reported earlier. Tamra Bhasma and Yasad Bhasma are two types of Ayurvedic formulations (Bhasmas) cited in the Indian traditional medicinal text “Rasa-shastra”. These Bhasmas have been studied in isolation and show beneficial attributes, such as free radical scavenging, hepatoprotective activity and anti-inflammatory effects. The present work is aimed at studying the combinatorial effect of Tamra Bhasma and Yasad Bhasma in conjunction with the potent anti-microbial “cinnamaldehyde nanoemulsion (NE)” loaded in two different forms of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix: hydrogel and sponge. In vitro studies on three cell lines, NIH 3T3, HaCaT and HuVECs, showed sustained release of these Bhasmas and NE, leading to enhanced cell proliferation, cell migration, free radical scavenging and collagen formation. Compared with the PVA hydrogel and sponge controls, the developed bioactive wound dressing shows promise for the healing and management of infected diabetic wounds.