Design & Development of Curcumin Loaded Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Decorated Mesoporous Silica Liquid Stitches: A Proof of Concept in Animals
Ajinkya Pote, Vishal Pande, Vipul Patel, Mahendra Ashok Giri, R. D. Bhalke, Aniket Uttam Pund
Abstract
The present research was aimed at synthesising and characterising curcumin-loaded zinc oxide nanoparticle-decorated mesoporous silica as a tissue adhesive (Liquid Stitches). The mesoporous silica nanoparticles facilitate adhesion to tissues through the nanobridging effect. The mesoporous silica was synthesised using a sol–gel methodology, and the drug was incorporated using the wetness impregnation method. The platform that was prepared was characterised using infrared spectroscopy, TEM, DSC, XRD, particle size analysis, BET analysis, a tissue model adhesion test, an antimicrobial assay and a wound model in Sprague Dawley rats. The average particle size was found to be 72.4 nm, while the surface area was found to be 654 m2/g. The tissue model adhesion graphs showed significantly different values for the peak load, work done and deformation at peak load, which reflects a difference between the glue strengths of the mesoporous silica nanoparticles and the Cur-ZnO-MSN and the carrier medium (water). The animal study provided a proof of concept by glueing wounds in less than 1 minute and healing the wound within 5 days.