Theses (MSc. Molecular Medicine)

Chronic wounds represent a significant healthcare challenge, often leading to prolonged patient suffering, bacterial infections, and impaired tissue regeneration, causing untreated and long-lasting scars formation. This study explores the potential of curcumin and quercetin-loaded chitosan-pectin scaffolds as a novel solution for enhancing wound healing. Curcumin and quercetin, both are well-known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties, were incorporated into chitosan-pectin scaffolds via a lyophilization method. Different ratios of curcumin and quercetin were being explored and tested for their biocompatibility, antioxidant capacity, antibacterial and antibiofilm capacities, drug release profiles as well as physicochemical tests to assess their suitability for wound healing applications. The surface morphology and pore sizes and distributions were assessed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Besides that, the antioxidant activity of the resulting scaffolds was tested using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, while their anti-inflammatory effects were evaluated in vitro through a bovine serum albumin (BSA) denaturation assay. Moreover, the antibacterial efficacy as well as antibiofilm affinity of the scaffolds were tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Biocompatibility of the scaffolds was tested via cell viability MTT assay while in-vitro wound healing was assessed using scratch assay. All of the curcumin-quercetin loaded scaffolds demonstrated strong antioxidant activity, ranging from 83 – 90%, and exhibited comparable anti-inflammatory activity, with values between 83 – 91%. They also showed impressive wound healing potential in vitro, with rates ranging from 85 - 100% at the 48-hour. Additionally, the antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus was notably high, achieving a 75 – 85% biofilm reduction. In comparison, the reduction in biofilm formation for Pseudomonas aeruginosa was moderate, ranging from 45 – 59%. The curcumin-quercetin loaded scaffolds, particularly the scaffold containing curcumin and quercetin at ratio 1:3 demonstrated the most promising results. These findings highlight the potential application of curcumin and quercetin-loaded chitosan-pectin scaffolds in promoting wound healing, addressing bacterial biofilms and supporting tissue regeneration. The results contribute to advancing biomimetic scaffolds as innovative solutions for managing chronic wounds and improving patient outcomes.