Individuals with diabetes are susceptible to complications from diabetic foot ulcers, making it crucial to explore natural product-based dosage forms as alternative treatments for diabetic wound healing. One such natural product is the Centella asiatica (L.) plant, known to contain asiatic acid compounds that promote wound healing. However, these compounds exhibit low bioavailability. This study aims to evaluate the wound healing effectiveness of a topical nanohydrogel of C. asiatica leaf extract in hyperglycemic rats. C. asiatica leaves were extracted with 96% ethanol for 72 hours and formulated into a nanohydrogel. The diabetes was induced with a single dose of nicotinamide 230 mg/kgBW 15 minutes before the induction of streptozotocin 65 mg/kgBW intraperitoneally. Two excision wounds on the back of the rat with a diameter of 6 mm. Treatment was carried out for 14 days and macroscopic observations. At the end of the study, histopathological examination was performed on skin samples and wound healing percentages were analyzed using One-way ANOVA. Molecular docking studies were carried out on the target receptors S. aureus, mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAPK3), Nuclear Factor-κB (NF-κB), and the IL-6/IL-6Rα/IL-6Rβ complex. Formula 1 nanoemulsion matrix is an optimum matrix with a particle size of 20.3 ± 0.3 nm, PI 0.414 ± 0.203, zeta potential -31.0 ± 0.7, percent transmittance 89.507 ± 0.0, and particle size <50nm, as shown by TEM. Nanohydrogel 1% significantly accelerated diabetic wound healing compared to the negative control (p<0.05). Histological examination revealed that wounds treated with 1% nanohydrogel had a moderate collagen composition and were rich in macrophages, which are beneficial in wound healing. Asiatic acid has an affinity level of -8.4 kcal/mol (S. aureus), -8.3 kcal/mol (MAPK3), -6.9 kcal/mol (NF-κB), and -8.5 kcal/mol (IL-6/IL-6Rα/IL-6Rβ complex). Nanohydrogel 1% is biocompatible and accelerates wound healing in hyperglycemic rats.
Hayati et al. (Sat,) studied this question.