Spray with Nitric Oxide Donor Accelerates Wound Healing: Potential Off-the-Shelf Solution for Therapy?

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Wound Healing Research
• Nitric Oxide Therapeutics

Background:

• Ditrosyl iron complexes (DNIC) are endogenous nitric oxide donors with potential for regenerative medicine.
• Over 15 years of research explored DNIC for stimulating regeneration, but optimal dosage and delivery remain undetermined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an effective spray formulation of DNIC for accelerated wound healing.
• Investigate the efficacy of DNIC spray in promoting skin lesion repair.

Main Methods:

• Prepared DNIC sprays at dosages of 10, 50, and 100 μg.
• Induced full-thickness skin wounds in Wistar rats and treated with DNIC sprays or distilled water for three days.
• Analyzed wound tissues on day four using morphological, immunohistochemical, and morphometric techniques.

Main Results:

• A 50 μg DNIC spray dose significantly increased granulation tissue thickness by 140% compared to controls.
• DNIC spray application resulted in a predominance of vimentin-positive fibroblasts and reduced inflammation.
• Observed a dose-dependent decrease in mast cell activity with increasing DNIC concentrations.

Conclusions:

• DNIC spray represents a promising and effective dosage form for treating extensive skin injuries.
• The 50 μg DNIC spray formulation demonstrated superior wound healing benefits in preclinical models.