A novel approach for wound treatment using Mitragyna speciosa-encapsulated nanostructured lipid carriers in hydrogel film

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BSTRACT

Adequate wound healing is important for re-establishing the normal skin function. Determining the most suitable therapeutic strategy for skin repair involves multiple considerations, including wound type and condition, injury severity, lesion extent, and exudate level. Mitragyna speciosa ( M. speciosa) is prominent for its therapeutic benefits and wound-healing properties. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) have proven beneficial for the M. speciosa extract, due to the restricted biocompatibility of active compounds in M. speciosa leaves. This study is the first to showcase the potential of M. speciosa leaf extract encapsulated in NLCs in a hydrogel for wound healing in rat models. M. speciosa leaf extract–encapsulated NLCs (MS-NLC) in hydrogel film can enhance wound recovery in rat models by facilitating faster wound contraction and promoting tissue repair in a shorter period as new growth tissue was visible at the peripheries of the abrasion observed from Day 3, hydroxyproline levels on day 21 was significantly higher than day 6 and day 15 ( P > 0.05), and the reading of tumor growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) through quantitative-polymerase chain reaction results on day 6 further revealed upregulation particularly in the 1000 mg/mL hydrogel group, reflecting active fibroblast function and tissue repair. TGF-β1 signaling is involved in key wound healing processes and could facilitate wound recovery observed with the MS-NLC hydrogel film, supporting its potential as a novel wound healing approach. However, the absence of a vehicle control limits the ability to attribute the observed effects solely to the active extract.