Influência da aplicação tópica de hidrogeis contendo nanocápsulas de indol-3-carbinol na fase aguda da cicatrização de feridas cutâneas de ratos

Abstract

The incidence of cutaneous wounds is high and the healing of the injured area is essential, since the integumentary tissue constitutes a body barrier against the harmful agents. The integrity of the skin, favors the maintenance of body homeostasis because this tissue has an antioxidant defense mechanism to reduce the harmful effects generated by free radicals. Treatments containing healing agents stand out for being easy to adhere to, application and reduced risk of toxicity, in addition to presenting advantages in the healing process. To obtain optimal healing, new drug presentations that improve quality and do not cause oxidative damage to granulation tissue are current objects of study. Among the pharmaceutical formulas, hydrogels stand out for their ability to promote healing and be indicated for various types of wounds. On the other hand, acting as carriers of active substances, such as nanocapsules, promote stability, sustained release and modulation of skin permeation of the active principle. Therefore, an association of hydrogels with nanoencapsulated actives is highly beneficial, due to the lower risk of cytotoxicity and because it has smaller edges of the drug. Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is superior through the hydrolysis of glycobrassicin and has antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity that have already been scientifically validated, however the verification of its healing activity, especially in nanoencapsulated structures, has not been elucidated so far. Thus, the aim of this work was to study the effect of topical application of hydrogel formulations containing free and nanoencapsulated I3C on the healing of skin wounds in rats. There were 37 adults male Wistar rats, distributed in 5 experimental groups (n = 7-8): I) Control; II) 1% allantoin, III) free I3C; IV) Nano-blank (NB) and V) I3C nanocapsule (N-I3C). After the acclimatization period, a cutaneous excision of a total area of 2 cm² was performed on the skin of the dorsal region, between the scapulae. Subsequently, the different topical treatments were applied to the excised area for 5 experimental days. On days 1 (baseline), 3 and 6 the wound area was measured to assess regression (in% of baseline). On the sixth experimental day, the animals were euthanized for analysis of the oxidative profile. An increase in the size of the wound was observed on the 3rd experimental day, being lower in the treated groups, compared to the control. On the 6th day, regression was lower in the free I3C group. The group that received N-I3C showed lower levels of lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation and reactive species in relation to the control and reduced catalase activity and reduced glutathione levels. It is concluded that wounds treated with nanoencapsulated I3C present less oxidative damage in the early stages of the healing process.