A Nano-Phytochemical Ophthalmic Solution for Marked Improvement of Corneal Wound Healing in Healthy Or Diabetic Mice

Abstract

Aim: To formulate a novel nano-phytochemical ophthalmic solution to promote corneal wound healing. Methods: Dipotassium glycyrrhizinate (DG) and palmatine (PAL) were used to formulate this formulation marked as DG–PAL, and its efficacy and mechanisms for promoting corneal wound healing were evaluated in mice. Results: DG–PAL was easily fabricated with excellent physical profiles. In in vivo efficiency evaluations, DG–PAL demonstrated an excellent promoting effect on corneal epithelial/nerve wound healing in both healthy and diabetic mice. These effects were involved in the DG–PAL-induced decreased expression levels of HMGB1 and its signaling-related factors in the corneas and trigeminal neurons of the healthy or diabetic mice. Conclusion: DG–PAL possibly represents a promising ophthalmic solution for promoting corneal wound healing.

Graphical abstract

Keywords::

• corneal wound
• diabetic keratopathy
• glycyrrhizin
• micelle
• palmatine

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/nnm-2021-0417

Author contributions

All authors contributed toward data analysis, drafting and revision of the paper and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Author statements

Male C57BL/6 mice (8 weeks old) were purchased from Jinan Pengyue Experimental Animal Breeding Co., Ltd. (Jinan, Shandong, China). New Zealand white rabbits were purchased from Qingdao Kangda Foodstuffs Co., Ltd. (Qingdao, China). Animal care and procedures complied with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and the animal experiment was approved by the Qingdao University of Science and Technology Ethics Committee for Animal Experimentation (approval document no. 2017-1, Qingdao, China).

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (project no. 81770949, 81770895 and 82000947) and the Open Project of Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science (project no. 20KFKT001). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Writing assistance was provided by Scribendi Inc. and was funded by the above sources.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (project no. 81770949, 81770895 and 82000947) and the Open Project of Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science (project no. 20KFKT001). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.