Nano-formulated curcumin accelerates acute wound healing through Dkk-1-mediated fibroblast mobilization and MCP-1-mediated anti-inflammation

Turmeric, a product of Curcuma longa , has a very long history of being used for the treatment of wounds in many Asian countries. Curcumin, the principal curcuminoid of turmeric, has recently been identified as a main mediator of turmeric’s medicinal properties. However, the inherent limitations of the compound itself, such as hydrophobicity, instability, poor absorption and rapid systemic elimination, pose big hurdles for translation to wider clinical application. We present here an approach for engineering curcumin/gelatin-blended nanofibrous mats (NMs) by electrospinning to adequately enhance the bioavailability of the hydrophobic curcumin for wound repair. Curcumin was successfully formulated as an amorphous nanosolid dispersion and favorably released from gelatin-based biomimetic NMs that could be easily applied topically to experimental wounds. We show synergistic signaling by the released curcumin during the healing process: (i) mobilization of wound site fibroblasts by activating the Wnt signaling pathway, partly mediated through Dickkopf-related protein-1, and (ii) persistent inhibition of the inflammatory response through decreased expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 by fibroblasts. With a combination of these effects, the curcumin/gelatin-blended NMs enhanced the regenerative process in a rat model of acute wounds, providing a method for translating this ancient medicine for use in modern wound therapy. Nanofibres: a spicy way to lick sore wounds Loading an ancient medicine onto gelatin nanofibres enhances the production of wound-healing and anti-inflammatory agents in rat models. Turmeric, the main spice in curry powder, has been used to clean and manage injuries for thousands of years. Recent studies have identified curcumin as the responsible compound for many of its medicinal properties. Now, Xinyi Dai and Arndt Schilling from Germany's Technical University of Munich and University Medical Center Göttingen and colleagues have improved curcumin's bioavailability by electrospinning it with gelatin into a tissue-mimicking network of cross-linked nanofibres. X-ray measurements showed that this procedure turned normally crystalline curcumin into an amorphous dispersion with good solubility in cellular environments. Trials on rat skins revealed that the amorphous curcumin boosted the metabolism of beneficial fibroblast cells and helped regulate anti-inflammation proteins for significantly faster wound healing. Schematic illustration o