Chitosan-based nano-scaffolds as antileishmanial wound dressing in BALB/c mice treatment: Characterization and design of tissue regeneration.

Objectives: Rapid healing of cutaneous leishmaniasis as one of the most important parasitic diseases leads to the decrease of scars and prevention of a great threat to the looks of the affected people. Today, the use of nano-scaffolds is rapidly increasing in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine with structures similar to the target tissue. Chitosan (CS) is a bioactive polymer with antimicrobial and accelerating features of healing wounds, which is commonly used in biomedicine. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CS/polyethylene oxide (PEO)/berberine (BBR) nanofibers on the experimental ulcers of in BALB/c mice.

Materials And Methods: CS/PEO/BBR nanofibers were prepared by the electrospinning method, and their morphology was examined by SEM, TEM, and AFM. Then, water absorption, stability, biocompatibility, porosity, and drug release from nano-scaffolds were explored. Afterward, 28 BALB/c mice infected with the parasite were randomly divided into control and experimental groups, and their wounds were dressed with the produced nano-scaffolds. Finally, the effect of nanobandage on the animals was investigated by macroscopic, histopathologic, and imaging examinations.

Results: The prepared nanofibers were completely uniform, cylindrical, bead-free, and biocompatible with an average diameter of 94±12 nm and had appropriate drug release. In addition, the reduced skin ulcer diameter (0.000), parasite burden (0.003), changes in the epidermis (0.023), and dermis (0.032) indicated significantly strong effectiveness of the produced nano-scaffolds against leishmania ulcers.

Conclusion: Studies showed that CS/PEO/BBR nanofibers have a positive effect on the rapid healing of leishmania ulcers. Future studies should focus on other chronic ulcers treatment.