Exploring the frostbite healing potential of hyaluronic acid based hydrogel of Manuka honey through antithrombotic and anti-platelet studies of major phytoconstituents and evaluation in Wistar rat model.

Objective: Development of Frostbite healing hydrogel of Manuka honey and hyaluronic acid.

Significance: Frostbite is a cold-induced ischemic vascular injury non-responsive to most of the wound healing products. Thrombus-induced ischemia is the main cause of frostbite-related necrosis. Hyaluronic acid is known to possess significant antithrombotic and wound healing activity. Moreover, Manuka Honey is also rich in flavonoids and polyphenols with potential antithrombotic activity. These two agents were together utilized to develop a frostbite healing formulation.

Methods: antithrombotic efficacy of major phytoconstituents of Manuka honey was evaluated using -docking studies against Tissue plasminogen activator and Cyclooxygenase-1 protein. Further frostbite healing evaluation was carried out in Wistar rats, by inducing frostbite with a supercooled rod.

Results: The results indicate that major leptosin and other major phytoconstituent of Manuka honey has significant antithrombotic property. The hydrogel formulation of HA and MH possess significant antimicrobial efficacy. The wound contraction studies and histopathological evaluation reveals that the hydrogel also has a good frostbite healing activity showing complete wound healing within an 18-day period. The findings of the western blotting studies suggest that the hydrogel acts by VEGF- NRF-2 pathway.

Conclusion: This result implies that the prepared hydrogel can serve as an effective frostbite healing formulation.