Wound healing activity of cuttlefish gelatin gels and films enriched by henna (Lawsonia inermis) extract

The in vivo wound-healing potential of gels and films based on cuttlefish skin gelatin (CSG) incorporated with aqueous henna extract (AHE) (at 50 and 500 μg/ml) was studied. As wound healing is related to reactive oxygen species (ROS), this study was first conducted to evaluate the antioxidant activity of AHE by DPPH radical-scavenging, β-carotene-linoleate bleaching, and reducing power assays. The major volatile compounds of AHE were lawsone, dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethyl sulfide, eugenol and maltol. The finding of the study showed that the incorporation of AHE into gelatin gels and films enhanced the antioxidant activity in a dose-dependent manner. In the wound-healing study, topical application of gelatin hydrogels or films enriched by AHE, on the wound site in a rat model, enhanced significantly wound healing activity and helped to prevent from inflammation damage, when compared to the control and CICAFLORA®-treated groups. Further, all preparations were found to improve the antioxidant status of treated rats as was evidenced by increased antioxidant enzymatic activities and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The increase in the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and gluthatione peroxydase (GPx) in wound tissues revealed that some bioactive compounds in AHE are able to enhance the healing of wounds by reducing the damage caused by ROS. Wound-healing activity was confirmed by histopathology studies. The obtained results showed that the addition of AHE to the gelatin matrix could improve the wound healing activity.This work was funded by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Tunisia. Emerging Research Group Grant from Generalitat Valenciana in Spain (GV/2015/138) and JAEDOC-CSIC postdoctoral contract of L.M. cofounded by the European Social Found are acknowledged.Peer reviewe