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Biomedical Engineering Education

Biomedical Engineering Education - Poster Session C

Poster E10 - Development of Polymer-based Drug Delivery System for Wound Healing

Friday, October 25, 2024
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST
Location: Exhibit Hall E, F & G

Introduction:  Skin is the largest organ in the human body that provides a barrier against external stresses. However, during this protection system, it can become susceptible to wounds caused by trauma or chronic conditions such as diabetes. Chronic wound closure and skin regeneration are worldwide problems and treating acute and chronic wounds (for instance, diabetic wound ulcers) can cost up to $31.7 billion annually in the US alone.1 As the wound healing systems are evolving, an ideal system should (1) augment cell proliferation and enhance the wound healing efficiency by expediting the wound closure rate, (2) be biocompatible (3) possess antibacterial properties (4) maintain its presence at the wound bed for ample duration to facilitate comprehensive healing. Our intention here is to develop a wound dressing, polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) film, for chronic wounds that incorporate new compounds known for their participation in recruiting more cells to the wound bed for wound management in the early and late phases of wound healing. These new compounds, elastin-like proteins (ELP), are known for acting as carriers to various peptides (employed for their biological activity in wound healing). ELP incorporation aims to achieve a single-application method coupled with slow release of these nanoparticles to ensure their availability for the entire wound healing cycle and prevent them from degradation due to proteases.2 Another aspect targeted here is the biodegradability of the PEC film used to ensure the availability of the film during the entire wound healing process to fulfill the requirement of following a single-application approach.

Materials and

Methods:  For these studies, a reproducible approach was employed for the synthesis of the films using different ratios of natural biomaterials such as chitosan, polygalacturonic acid (PgA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as per our published protocol (Priya’s manuscript reference here). A variety of compositions, pH, temperature, and duration were used to cast the PEC films in film production to achieve polymer-based film with optimum biodegradability and nanoparticle release. The films were manufactured using these biomaterials with or without encapsulation with different elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) fused bioactive molecules or growth factors necessary for wound healing processes. The solution was then poured into Teflon containers in an oven at 40ºC for 2-3 days (or until the films dried). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging was done to locate the nanoparticles in the films. The films were cut into 10 mm disks and were stored in 24-well plates in PBS solution to mimic the wound environment. Each film disk was studied for degradation (by measuring its thickness and weight over 35 days). Another 24-well plate carrying 10 mm film disks with nanoparticles in PBS solution was stored in an incubator at 37ºC on a shaker rotating at 500-1000 rpm. PBS solution samples (in which the films were stored) were collected over 7 days for staining and western blot to quantify the nanoparticles released during the study.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: Result: PEC-PEG films were successfully developed under a controlled environment. The film showcased the optimum degradability of 35 days and the release of the ELP nanoparticles over 7 days. The ELP’s location was confirmed in the PEC film using SEM as shown in Figure 1. SDS-Page and western blot confirmed the release of ELP from the film into the surroundings displaying its potential as a drug delivery system.

Conclusion: A slow drug delivery system was developed using stable, reproducible conditions to successfully deliver carrier ELP nanoparticles that can carry growth-factor-based compounds to chronic skin wounds with optimum degrading duration. The results will be further confirmed using clinical application on relevant animal models with chronic wounds. The system is biocompatible with reduced risk of irritation or rejection as all the polymers used are either naturally occurring or are currently used for creating wound healing systems.

Acknowledgements (Optional):  

References:
Xuefeng Li. High-strength, strong-adhesion, and antibacterial polyelectrolyte complex hydrogel films from natural polysaccharides. 2022
Kumar S et al. Neurotrauma 2018;35(6):815-824
Kumar S et al. J Vis Exp. 2019;(145).

Acknowledgments: This work is funded by Rutgers Busch Biomedical Grant 2021 and Aresty Undergraduate Research Fellowship 2022-23 (Kungumaraj HJ).