A novel curcumin-loaded composite dressing facilitates wound healing due to its natural antioxidant effect

Purpose: To prepare a novel wound dressing to facilitate cutaneous wound healing. Methods: Curcumin (Cur) was added to the ring-shaped β-cyclodextrin (CD) to form a β-CD–Cur inclusion complex (CD-Cur). CD-Cur was then integrated into a composite chitosan–alginate (CA) mix. Finally, CA-CD-Cur was generated with a freeze-drying technique. Water-uptake capacity, degradation rate, and drug-release kinetics of the newly formed dressing were investigated in vitro. In animal studies, cutaneous wounds in rats were created, treated with CA-CD-Cur, then compared to CA-Cur, CA, and gauze. Results: CA-CD-Cur–treated wounds showed accelerated closure rates, improved histopathological results, and lower SOD, lipid peroxidation, pI3K, and pAktkt levels than other groups. On the contrary, catalase, IκBα, and TGFβ 1 levels were higher than others. Conclusion: CA-CD-Cur may facilitate cutaneous wound dressing that facilitate wound healing.