Figure 8.

In vivo diabetic wound closure following treatment with hydrogels containing LMWP-GFs, QCN-NE, and OXY-PFOB-NE. Progression of wound closure in a full-thickness excisional diabetic mouse wound model following treatment with Carbopol hydrogel containing either LMWP-GFs, QCN-NE, OXY-PFOB-NE alone, or all combined. (A) The wound area was measured over 12 days. (B) Representative photographs of non-diabetic and diabetic wounds treated with vehicle (0.1% [w/w] Carbopol hydrogel), and diabetic wounds treated with LMWP-GFs-GEL (0.1% [w/w] Carbopol hydrogel containing LMWP-EGF [100 µg/mL], LMWP-IGF-I [100 µg/mL], LMWP-PDGF-A [2 µg/mL], and LMWP-bFGF [2 µg/mL]), QCN-NE-GEL (0.1% [w/w] Carbopol hydrogel containing QCN-NE [20 µg/mL QCN]), PFOB-NE-GEL (0.1% [w/w] Carbopol hydrogel containing oxygen-carrying PFOB-NE [6 mg/mL]), and LMWP-GFs/QCN-NE/OXY-PFOB-NE-GEL (0.1% [w/w] Carbopol hydrogel containing LMWP-EGF [100 µg/mL], LMWP-IGF-I [100 µg/mL], LMWP-PDGF-A [2 µg/mL], LMWP-bFGF [2 µg/mL], QCN-NE [20 µg/mL QCN], and OXY-PFOB-NE [6 mg/mL PFOB-NE]).

Notes: All data are expressed as means ± standard deviation (n=15). ^aP<0.05, ^bP<0.01, ^cP<0.001 compared to the control (non-diabetic). ^dP<0.05, ^eP<0.01, ^fP<0.001 compared to the control (diabetic). ^gP<0.05, ^hP<0.001 compared to the LMWP-GFs-GEL. ⁱP<0.001 compared to the QCN-NE-GEL. ^jP<0.001 compared to the PFOB-NE-GEL. The scale bar in (B) equals 10 mm.

Abbreviations: LMWP, low-molecular-weight protamine; GFs, growth factors; LMWP-GFs, LMWP-fused GFs; EGF, epidermal growth factor; IGF-I, insulin-like growth factor-I; PDGF-A, platelet-derived growth factor-A; bFGF, basic fibroblast growth factor; LMWP-EGF, LMWP-fused EGF; LMWP-IGF-I, LMWP-fused IGF-I; LMWP-PDGF-A, LMWP-fused PDGF-A; LMWP-bFGF, LMWP-fused bFGF; QCN, quercetin; NE, nanoemulsion; QCN-NE, QCN-loaded NE; PFOB, 1-bromoperfluorooctane; OXY-PFOB-NE, oxygen-carrying PFOB-loaded NE.