Lipid microparticles as quercetin carriers for the treatment of burn wounds: manufacturing, properties, and in vitro studies on macrophages polarization
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1
AGH University of Krakow, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, Department of Biomaterials and Composites, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
2
Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde da Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, 4200-125 Porto, Portugal
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ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, R. Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
Submission date: 2023-09-18
Acceptance date: 2023-10-19
Publication date: 2023-10-23
Engineering of Biomaterials 2023;(171):2-11
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ABSTRACT
Burn wounds are a unique type of injury that can affect the entire body and cause irreversible damage. They are characterized by significant morbidity and mortality due to the pathophysiology of the healing process manifested by unremitting inflammation, leading to a critical need to search for new treatments. This study focuses on the development of drug delivery systems in the form of lipid microparticles loaded with quercetin, as an agent to combat acute inflammation in burn wounds. We aimed to explore the effect of quercetin in modulating macrophage polarization from proinflammatory (M1) to anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotype. The absence of a cytotoxic effect of the produced particles on macrophages, as well as the lack of negative effects on their morphology was proven. The study confirmed the ability of quercetin and quercetin-loaded lipid microparticles to modulate macrophage polarization in an anti-inflammatory direction, based on the analysis of their surface markers expression performed with the use of flow cytometry. With the use of quercetin, the expression of M2 specific marker increased. Furthermore, better results were obtained for encapsulated quercetin, confirming the necessity of encapsulation to increase the therapeutic potential.