Efficacy of Graphene-Based Nanocomposite Gels as a Promising Wound Healing Biomaterial
Dilip Kumar Shanmugam,
Yasasve Madhavan,
Aashabharathi Manimaran,
Gobi Saravanan Kaliaraj,
Karthik Ganesh Mohanraj,
Narthana Kandhasamy,
Kamalan Kirubaharan Amirtharaj Mosas
Affiliations
Dilip Kumar Shanmugam
Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600119, India
Yasasve Madhavan
Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai 600116, India
Aashabharathi Manimaran
Department of Biotechnology, Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chembarambakkam, Chennai 600123, India
Gobi Saravanan Kaliaraj
Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600119, India
Karthik Ganesh Mohanraj
Department of Anatomy, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Chennai 600077, India
Narthana Kandhasamy
Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600119, India
Kamalan Kirubaharan Amirtharaj Mosas
Coating Department, FunGlass—Centre for Functional and Surface Functionalized Glass, Alexander Dubcek University of Trencin, 91150 Trencin, Slovakia
The development of biocompatible nanocomposite hydrogels with effective wound healing/microbicidal properties is needed to bring out their distinguished characteristics in clinical applications. The positive interaction between graphene oxide/reduced graphene oxide (GO/rGO) and hydrogels and aloe vera gel represents a strong strategy for the advancement of therapeutic approaches for wound healing. In this study, the synthesis, characterization, and angiogenic properties of graphene-based nanocomposite gels have been corroborated and substantiated through several in vitro and in vivo assays. In this respect, graphene oxide was synthesized by incorporating a modified Hummer’s method and ascertained by Raman spectroscopy. The obtained GO and rGO were uniformly dispersed into the aloe vera gel and hydrogel, respectively, as wound healing materials. These formulations were characterized via in vitro bio-chemical techniques and were found suitable for the appropriate cell viability, attachment, and proliferation. In addition, in vivo experiments were conducted using male Wistar rats. This revealed that the GO/rGO-based gels stimulated wound contraction and re-epithelialization compared to that of the non-treatment group. From the study, it is suggested that GO/rGO-based aloe vera gel can be recommended as a promising candidate for wound healing applications.
