Wound dressings loaded with an anti-inflammatory jucá (Libidibia ferrea) extract using supercritical carbon dioxide technology

N-Carboxybutyl chitosan (CBC), collagen/cellulose (Promogran®) and hyaluronic acid-based (Hyalofill®) polymeric matrices/dressings were loaded with an extract obtained from jucá (Libidibia ferrea) and in order to develop wound dressings endowed with anti-inflammatory activity. Jucá fruits were subjected to supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) using CO2 at 25 MPa and 50 °C and the resulting extract was later incorporated into the above referred wound dressings by a supercritical fluid impregnation/deposition method (SSI). GC analysis revealed that the obtained SFE extract is particularly rich in unsaturated (52%) and saturated (26%) fatty acids as well as in terpenoids (13%) such as lupenone and gamma-sitosterol. Extract loading yields depended on the affinity of the hydrophobic extract for the specifically employed wound dressing material and was almost 2-fold greater for CBC than for the other two commercial wound dressings. The prepared extract-loaded dressings were cytocompatible with RAW 264.7 macrophages (viability > 85% at 24 h) and down-regulated the expression of TNF-α and IL-1α pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as the production of nitric oxide, which confirms the anti-inflammatory capacity of the employed jucá extract. Nevertheless, such effect was somehow counteracted by a pro-inflammatory activity that was exhibited by CBC. Prepared dressings presented a wide range of water vapor ((2.9–14.7) × 1014 kg/(s m Pa)) and oxygen permeability (150 up to 830 barrer) which make them potentially suitable for the management of various wound types at different healing stages.

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► Extracts of jucá were obtained by SFE.
► Extracts were loaded into N-carboxybutyl chitosan (CBC) based wound dressings by SSI.
► Extracts are particularly rich in unsaturated (52%) and saturated (26%) fatty acids as well as in terpenoids (13%).
► Extract-loaded dressings were cytocompatible with RAW 264.7 macrophages and down-regulated the expression of TNF-α and IL-1α pro-inflammatory cytokines.
► Results were compared with the ones obtained with commercially available wound dressings.