Leveraging antisolvent-processed β-sitosterol to construct a multifunctional curcumin-loaded oleogel for diabetic wound healing

ABSTRACT: The complex microenvironment of diabetic wounds is the primary cause of slow wound healing, manifesting as a vicious cycle of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and overexpression of inflammatory factors. Regulating this microenvironment by inhibiting wound inflammation, oxidative stress, and bacterial infection is a key challenge in the treatment of diabetic wounds. In this study, β-sitosterol particles (AS-Sit) were obtained via anti-solvent precipitation which solved the problem of poor dispersibility of β-sitosterol and combined them with candelilla wax to develop a novel multifunctional oleogel system capable of loading curcumin. The oleogel system demonstrates notable stability, spreadability, and sustained-release performance. Furthermore, the synergistic effects of β-sitosterol and curcumin resulted in the OG/Cur-0.15% oleogel demonstrating significant efficacy in bacterial elimination, ROS scavenging, fibroblast migration promotion, macrophage M 2 polarization induction, and inflammatory factor expression regulation. This multifunctional oleogel represents a simple and effective treatment for promoting the healing of chronic diabetic wounds and holds great potential for future clinical applications.