Simvastatin-releasing Self-assembled Peptide Hydrogels Improves Wound Healing in Diabetic Mice

Wound healing is one of the major global health concerns in diabetic patients. Simvastatin (SMV) is a poorly soluble oral cholesterol-lowering drug that may help diabetic wound healing. In the current study, a thixotropic peptide hydrogel of Fmoc-dipeptide containing SMV was designed to accelerate skin wound healing effectively and safely in diabetic mice. Fmoc-dipeptide hydrogels were prepared at various concentrations using the solvent triggering technique and characterized by spectroscopic methods such as attenuated total reflection FT-IR and fluorimetry. Mechanical behaviors were explored by oscillatory rheology. In model mice, the regenerative potential of Fmoc-dipeptide-SMV hydrogel was evaluated in terms of wound contraction and closure, tissue regeneration, acute and chronic inflammation, granulation, and re-epithelization. The results showed that Fmoc-dipeptide-SMV hydrogels had an entangled nanofibrous microstructure and shear-thinning characteristics. Fmoc-dipeptide-SMV demonstrated a sustained drug release over seven days. Compared to unloaded Fmoc-dipeptide hydrogel, treatment with Fmoc-dipeptide-SMV led to superior diabetic wound recovery and reduced inflammation. Therefore, the utilization of sustained-release Fmoc-dipeptide-SMV hydrogel formulation could become an attractive choice for topical wound therapy in diabetes patients.

کلیدواژه ها:

Diabetic wound ، Fmoc-dipeptide ، Hydrogel ، Nanofiber ، Simvastatin