Development of In vivo Wound Healing Assay using Biogenic Zinc Oxide Silica Nanocomposites in Sodium Alginate-Based Hydrogel

Abstract

This study focuses on the green synthesis, characterization, pharmaceutical assessment, and biomedical evaluation of a nanocomposite material comprised of zinc oxide-silica nanoparticles derived from Cassia fistula and loaded into a sodium alginate hydrogel. The in vitro minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay demonstrated that the nanocomposites inhibited the growth of wild type pathogens including E. coli, Klebsiella, Streptococci, and S. pyogenes. When higher concentrations of the nanocomposites were applied, their inhibition zones were substantially larger than those of the antibiotic levofloxacin, indicating their potential as potent antibacterial agents. The biomedical evaluation revealed that the hydrogel formulation with ZnO/SG nanocomposites had the fastest healing time, entirely healing wounds in only six days, whereas the negative control required twelve days for complete healing. In addition to promoting hair growth, the hydrogel formulation left no visible scars. These results suggest that the developed hydrogel formulation has the potential for use in a variety of biological applications, including drug delivery, chronic wound healing and diabetic wounds. To optimize the formulation, assess safety, and evaluate effectiveness in living organisms, additional research is required. This study's green synthesis strategy bears promise for the sustainable production of biomaterials with functional properties.