Soluble polyvinylpyrrolidone-based microneedles loaded with Sanguis draconis and Salvia miltiorrhiza for treatment of diabetic wound healing.

Background: Nowadays, diabetic wound healing remains a crucial challenge due to their protracted and uncertain healing process. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has demonstrated the therapeutic value of Sanguis draconis (SD)-Salvia miltiorrhiza (SMR) Herb Pair in diabetic wound healing. However, new administration modes are urgently needed for their convenient and wide-ranging applications.

Objective: We propose a soluble polyvinylpyrrolidone-based microneedle patch containing the herbal extracts of SD and SMR (MN-SD@SMR) for diabetic wound healing.

Methods: The herbal extracts of SD and SMR are purification and concentration via traditional lyophilization. SD endowed MN-SD@SMR with functions to improve high glycemic blood environment and migration of keratinocyte and fibroblast cells.

Results: SMR in MN-SD@SMR could improve blood flow velocity and microcirculation in the wound area. The effectiveness of transdermal release and mechanical strengths of MN-SD@SMR were verified.

Conclusion: Integrating the advantages of these purified herbal compositions, we demonstrated that MN-SD@SMR had a positive healing effect on the wounds in vitro and vivo. These results indicate that soluble polyvinylpyrrolidone-based microneedle patch containing the herbal extracts of SD and SMR has a promising application value due to their superior capability to promote diabetic wound healing.