Lauric acid-loaded biomimetic, biocompatible, and antioxidant jelly fig (Ficus awkeotsang Makino) pectin hydrogel accelerates wound healing in diabetic rats

Herein, we have presented a lauric acid (LA)-loaded jelly fig pectin (JFP)-based biocompatible hydrogel, which possesses strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties to treat diabetic wounds. The antioxidant and antibacterial activity of the JFP + LA hydrogels were beneficial in eliminating the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and bacterial infection in the wound bed, thereby protecting the wound surface and accelerating the tissue repair process. The in vivo diabetic wound healing studies demonstrated that applying JFP + LA hydrogels improved the rate of wound contraction and reduced the epithelialization time significantly. The epithelialization period of the control, JFP, JFP + LA 0.5 %, and JFP + LA 1 % hydrogels were 28 ± 1.5 days, 24 ± 1 days, 18.5 ± 1 days, and 19 ± 1 days, respectively. JFP also enhanced the neovascularization and collagen synthesis during wound healing. The incorporation of LA reduced the inflammation and helped recruit macrophages to proceed to other phases of wound healing in rats treated with JFP + LA hydrogels. The results presented provide insight into the clinical management of infected diabetic wounds. Overall, the results demonstrated that the JFP + LA hydrogels were an inexpensive dressing material that accelerated the healing of diabetic wounds. [Display omitted] •Low methoxyl pectin was extracted from Ficus awkeotsang Makino achenes.•Jelly fig pectin formed a hydrogel through Ca2+ ion crosslinking.•JFP + LA hydrogel showed higher antioxidant and antibacterial efficacy.•JFP + LA hydrogels were biocompatible and biodegradable.•JFP + LA hydrogels accelerated the wound contraction and period of epithelialization.