Fabrication of a triiodothyronine incorporated nanofibrous biomaterial: its implications on wound healing

With rising incidents of non-healing chronic wounds, functional restoration of the organs after a major wound insult is an essential requisite. The delivery of endogenous molecules through nanomaterials for supporting healing of such wounds has gained impetus in the past decade. Triiodothyronine (T 3 ) is a hormone that exerts its activity at various target organs and is reported to play a critical role in repair and regeneration of tissues after injury. The encapsulation of T 3 in nanofibers and its sustained release to enable wound healing has been attempted for the first time in this work. The physico-chemical characterization confirmed the encapsulation and uniform distribution of the hormone in the nanofiber. Functional characterization of the composite nanofibers revealed the significant positive influence of the T 3 -entrapped nanofibers on the proliferation and migration of skin cells. Consistent with the in vitro results, application of the composite nanofibers on full thickness excisional wounds in rat model ( in vivo ) confirmed the potential of the hormone in accelerating the rate of wound closure. Thus this work reveals the effect of prolonged sustained delivery of T 3 from nanofibers which might promote the healing of chronic wounds.