Cellulose acetate nanofibrous wound dressings loaded with 1% probucol alleviate oxidative stress and promote diabetic wound healing: an in vitro and in vivo study

Inspired by the antioxidative properties of probucol (Pro), a probucol-loaded electrospun wound dressing was developed to promote diabetic wound healing. Scaffolds were fabricated via electrospinning of cellulose acetate solution containing 1% w/w, 3% w/w, and 5% w/w of probucol. The physicochemical and biological properties of the prepared wound dressings were investigated. Cell viability assay showed that the scaffolds loaded with 1% drug had the most favourable effect on fibroblast cells; therefore, this formulation was chosen for treating diabetic wounds. Furthermore, the healing activity of probucol-loaded wound dressings was investigated in a rat model of the diabetic excisional injury. In vivo study showed that the dressings loaded with 1% probucol had the highest rate of wound healing compared with drug-free dressings and the negative control group. At the end of the 14th day, the cellulose acetate/1% probucol group showed 91.18 ± 4.05% of wound closure and 45.02 ± 2.49 µm of epithelial thickness. In contrast, the cellulose acetate-only group showed 62.21 ± 4.32% of wound closure and 27.22 ± 4.48 µm of epithelial thickness at the same time point. In addition, gene expression analysis showed that the probucol-loaded wound dressings could significantly reduce the tissue expression level of the glutathione peroxidase gene. However, the tissue expression level of the NFK-β gene almost remained unchanged after treatment with cellulose acetate/1% probucol wound dressing.