In Vivo Wound Healing Evaluation of Clindamycin Incoporated Keratin Pectin Hydrogels: The Antomicrobial Study

Abstract

Wound healing is a tissue repair process that involves re-epithelization. In general, wounds are healed in 4 to 6 weeks. There are many factors that affect the duration, including bacterial colonization, lack of cell response, and the wound condition after treatment, whether it becomes dry or moist. In order to tackle the problem, keratin, pectin, and clindamycin were chosen. The keratin was extracted from human hair and characterized using BCA protein assay. The drug was incorporated in the hydrogels formed since it could hold a huge amount of liquid and applied topically. The treatment group was divided into Control (gauzes), Pectin 2% + Clindamycin, and Keratin Pectin 1:2 (2%) + Clindamycin. The hydrogels were run and tested into 8 mice per treatment group for 9 days. The project was aiming to analyze the effect of keratin pectin towards wound reduction and understand the presence of microbial affects the wound closure. Every 3 days, the observation for wound reduction and antimicrobial activity were conducted. The result showed that the keratin-pectin induced faster wound healing and in the presence of clindamycin in the form of hydrogels could inhibit bacterial growth significantly and also accelerate the wound healing process. There was no significant difference in wound reduction and antimicrobial effects between Pectin 2% + Clindamycin and Keratin Pectin 1:2 (2%) + Clindamycin. Further study about the effect of different keratin concentrations in inducing activation of keratinocytes and antibacterial effect on keratin and pectin compared to clindamycin.