Morin incorporated polysaccharide–protein (psyllium–keratin) hydrogel scaffolds accelerate diabetic wound healing in Wistar rats

Chronic wounds cost several billion dollars of public healthcare spending annually and continue to be a persistent threat globally. Several treatment methods have been explored, and all of them involve covering up the wound with therapeutic dressings that reduce inflammation and accelerate the healing process. In this present study, morin (MOR) was loaded onto hydrogel scaffolds prepared from psyllium seed husk polysaccharide (PSH), and human hair keratins (KER) crosslinked with sodium trimetaphosphate. ATR-FTIR confirmed the presence of the constituent chemical ingredients. SEM images of the scaffold surface reveal a highly porous architecture, with about 80% porosity measured by liquid displacement measurement, irrespective of the morin concentration. Swelling assays carried out on the scaffolds portray an ability to absorb up to seven times their dry weight of fluids. This makes them attractive for guiding moist wound healing on medium exuding wounds. An Alamar blue assay of NIH/3T3 fibroblast cells shows that cell viability decreases in the first 24 h but recovers to 85% in comparison to a control after 48 h. SEM images of fibroblast cells grown on the scaffolds confirm cellular attachment. An <i>in vivo</i> diabetic wound healing study showed that PSH + KER + MOR scaffold treatment significantly reduced the re-epithelialization time (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and enhanced the rate of wound contraction (<i>p</i> < 0.001), by accelerating collagen synthesis in diabetic rats compared to controls.