The potential wound healing and antimicrobial effects of silver nanoparticles and hyaluronic acid in animal models

This study aimed to investigate the wound healing properties and antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles, hyaluronic acid, and their combination in animal models. Twenty rabbits were divided into five groups (n = 4): group 1, the control group; group 2, the induction group; group 3, the group treated with 1% silver nanoparticle ointment (1% SNO); group 4, the group treated with hyaluronic acid ointment (HAO); and group 5, the combination-treated group. Skin wounds were induced in the latter four groups,contaminated with multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and treated for 15 days. The healing process was evaluated based on gross and histopathological findings. Histopathological scoring was used to compare the groups. Results showed that wound healing improved in all treated groups compared with the induction group. The 1% SNO-treated group showed better results than the HAO-treated group in reducing inflammation, while the HAO-treated group also showed improvement compared with the induction group. The 1% SNO group showed a greater reduction in inflammation, whereas the HAO group exhibited better epidermal regeneration. The most significant acceleration of wound healing was observed in the combination-treated group (group 5). It was also noted that this group had the lowest score (0) for inflammation and granulation tissue formation and the highest scores (4) for the regeneration of skin appendages, collagen deposition, and re-epithelialization compared with other groups. In conclusion, combining HAO and SNO may be more effective than using either treatment alone. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use a combination of SNO and HAO for treating skin wounds.