Functionalization of gauzes with liposomes entrapping an anti-inflammatory drug: A strategy to improve wound healing

From ancientness, suitable materials have been developed to cover the wounds in order to prevent infections and promote proper wound healing. In this study, the successful development of functionalized nonwoven gauzes with liposomes entrapping anti-inflammatory piroxicam is reported. Piroxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that can suppress a persistent inflammatory response, leading to improved wound healing. The results demonstrated that the highest NSAID concentration released is achieved when gauzes were previously cationized with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and high concentration of phospholipid (≈3000μM) and multilamellar liposomes (MLVs) were used. MLVs were also the best vehicle considering their biocompatibility with skin human fibroblasts, where no toxicity was observed for neither of the tested conditions. The developed functionalized gauzes can be, therefore, a good strategy to treat chronic wounds.