A composite hydrogel loading natural polysaccharides derived from Periplaneta americana herbal residue for diabetic wound healing

In view of the long medicinal use history of Periplaneta americana for manifold ulcer or skin wounds treatment, the comprehensive utilization value of P. americana herbal residue was evaluated. In this study, we isolated a polysaccharide fraction from P. americana herbal residue with the potential wound healing effect, named as PAP faction, based on our previous study and provided the structural and monosaccharide composition characterization. To improve the topical wound dressing property, a novel composite hydrogel consisting of PAP, carbomer 940 (CBM), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with different ratios were prepared and optimized. Mediated by the physical crosslinking effect among these polymers, the composite hydrogel exhibited good three-dimensional network structures, good swelling and water retention capacity, moderate mechanical property in rheological test. And then, the good cytocompatibility of hydrogel was corroborated by 3T3 fibroblast proliferation assay. Finally, the composite hydrogel loading PAP has been proved to accelerate wound healing in diabetic rat models, by promoting wound closure, collagen deposition, M2 macrophages polarization and angiogenesis. In summary, this study would provide an effective and promising wound dressing candidate for the prevention and treatment of diabetic wound, based on the ecological concept of the comprehensive utilization of natural herbal resources.