Enhanced Wound Healing Using Curcumin-Loaded Janus Dressings Fabricated by Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Molding

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Wound Management

Background:

• Wound dressings are essential for skin barrier repair.
• Developing advanced dressings can improve clinical wound management outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a curcumin-loaded Janus polydimethylsiloxane wound dressing with asymmetric wettability and surface microstructures.
• To evaluate the dressing's efficacy in promoting cell proliferation, enhancing drug loading, and accelerating wound healing.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of the Janus dressing using femtosecond laser technology and template replication.
• Characterization of surface properties (hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity) and micro/nanostructures.
• In vitro assessment of NIH/3T3 cell proliferation and antibacterial activity.
• In vivo evaluation of wound healing and epithelial regeneration in animal models.

Main Results:

• The developed dressing exhibits distinct hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces with micro/nanostructures.
• Enhanced in vitro NIH/3T3 cell proliferation was observed.
• Increased curcumin loading efficiency and reduced release rate were achieved, improving antibacterial properties.
• In vivo studies demonstrated accelerated wound healing, reaching a 95.89% healing rate within 13 days.

Conclusions:

• The developed curcumin-loaded Janus polydimethylsiloxane wound dressing effectively promotes wound healing and tissue regeneration.
• The asymmetric wettability and micro/nanostructure design are key to the dressing's enhanced performance.
• This study offers valuable insights for designing advanced drug-loaded Janus wound dressings for improved therapeutic outcomes.