Sasan Zaeri - PHD, assistant professor of Pharmacology, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Elham Shabankareh Fard
Fatemeh Isavi
Maryam NajafiAsl

Modulation of oxidative stress is critical in normal wound repair since excess free radicals are known to adversely affect proper tissue regeneration. Among antioxidants, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has gained significant place in the clinic due to its unique antioxidant properties. Therefore, it was hypothesized that topical application of NAC would accelerate wound repair in part through its antioxidative mechanism. Knowing the importance of nanotechnology in wound care, the goal was to load NAC into a nanofibrous mat to further improve wound healing.Materials and methods: Polyvinylalcohol (PVA)-based mats loaded with NAC at three levels were electrospun and characterized in terms of physicochemical properties and drug release profile. For wound healing assay, mice with full-thickness skin wounds were subjected to topical treatment for 14 days. Wound area, tissue histopathology and cellular oxidative state were evaluated.Results: PVA/NAC 5% mat showed thin fiber size with suitable hydrophilicity, porosity, degradibility and sustained drug release making it eligible for in vivo study. Accordingly, PVA/NAC 5% mat resulted in significant wound closure with high level of reepithelializtion and collagen fiber synthesis on day 14 post-surgery. It also reduced granulation tissue and edematous stroma to a higher extent. These findings were accompanied by significant decrease in tissue lipid peroxidation and higher superoxide dismutase activity which may explain how NAC improved wound healing.Conclusions: We proposed an NAC-loaded nanofibrous mat that takes advantage of a porous nano-scaffold structure releasing NAC in a sustained manner. Hence, it may be a promising candidate for more clinical evaluation.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC), electrospun nanofiber, wound, mice, oxidative stress