Effect of growth factors and pro-inflammatory cytokines by the collagen biocomposite dressing material containing Macrotyloma uniflorum plant extract—In vivo wound healing

Open burn wounds require proper dressings for faster healing and to prevent infection. In the present study, a wound dressing material in sheet form, containing fish scale collagen (FSC), physiologically clotted fibrin (PCF) and Macrotyloma uniflorum plant extract (MPE) was applied on the experimental wounds of rats. It was found that MPE accelerated wound healing, by suppressing the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthases (iNOS) expressions thereby reduced inflammation. It has influenced the regulation of growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF-β). The biocomposite sheet has enhanced collagen synthesis and down regulated the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), thereby helped faster healing of wounds. The results suggest that the incorporation of MPE played an important role in enhancing the wound healing rate. The FSC–PCF biosheet containing MPE may be further tried on the clinical wounds of small and large animals before application on to humans.