Production of chitosan nanocomposite-dependent dual wound healing and its improved mechanism

This study describes the preparation of novel chitosan-based nanoparticles loaded with Boswellia serrata extract (BSE-Cs NPs), with and without zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), via emulsification-solvent evaporation and nanoprecipitation. The obtained nanoformulations were characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of a hexagonal wurtzite structure for the ZnO phase. The addition of ZnO NPs decreased the mean nanoparticle size from about 321 to 209 nm and changed the morphology to a more clustered structure, which suggests improved emulsification effectiveness. When compared to the conventional Amphotericin B antibiotic, the BSE-Cs/ZnO NP formulation had greater action against Aspergillus niger , exhibiting a strong, focused synergistic antifungal effect while maintaining constant antibacterial activity. In addition, the biocompatibility of the cytotoxic pure BSE was significantly enhanced by nano-encapsulation. For BSE-Cs NPs, the IC₅₀ value rose from approximately 150 µg/mL for pure BSE to over 1000 µg/mL. With an intermediate IC₅₀ of about 700 µg/mL, the BSE-Cs/ZnO NP compound balanced ZnO’s natural cytotoxicity with increased antifungal activity. A safe treatment window was indicated by the good biocompatibility of all formulations at lower doses. According to these results, BSE-Cs/ZnO NPs is a potential nanoformulation that provides a useful compromise between increased antifungal activity and tolerable cytotoxicity.