Harnessing the Power of Saussurea obvallata Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Accelerated Wound Healing and Antimicrobial Action

Adel Moalwi,1 Keerti Naik,2 Uday M Muddapur,2 Bader Aldoah,1 Hajar Hassan AlWadai,1 Abdulrahman Manaa Alamri,1 Saeed A Alsareii,1 Mater H Mahnashi,3 Ibrahim Ahmed Shaikh,4 Aejaz Abdullatif Khan,5 Sunil S More6 1Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Biotechnology, KLE Technological University, BVB Campus, Hubballi, Karnataka, India; 3Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of General Science, Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 6School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Dayananda Sagar University, Bangalore, Karnataka, IndiaCorrespondence: Uday M Muddapur; Mater H Mahnashi, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) have been the subject of substantial research by virtue of their utility across extensive downstream applications. Moreover, the ZnONPs are inexpensive, reliable, and easy to produce. Green synthesis employing biological systems, particularly plant extracts, has arisen as a subject of study in nanotechnology and is gaining importance due to its multiple applications in biology, chemistry, physics, and medicine.Methods: Aqueous extract of S. obvallata was prepared and ZnONPs were synthesised using zinc acetate as a substrate. UV-Vis spectrophotometric measurement confirmed the production of ZnONPs. The ZnONPs were characterized by employing SEM, EDS, XRD, and FTIR. The ZnONPs were screened for its antimicrobial and wound healing potential.Results: The peak of absorbance for UV-Vis was observed at 370 nm. The average dimension of the particles was found to be 22.58 nm. The antibacterial activity of ZnONPs was efficient in countering a broad spectrum of bacteria and the fungi C. albicans. The results of in vitro and in vivo wound healing assays indicate that the ZnONPs possess potent wound healing potential. In the cell migration assay, the percentage of wound closure was observed to be 84.70% (p < 0.001) for ZnONPs compared to the untreated group (8.12%). In the excision wound healing rat model, the animals treated with ZnONPs and Povidone-Iodine showed a significant (p < 0.01) wound contraction in comparison to the untreated animals.Discussion: The ZnONPs promoted wound healing processes and showed promise as a therapeutic agent. However, further research is needed to understand the mechanisms of action and evaluate the long-term safety and effectiveness of ZnONPs in wound healing applications. By using renewable biological materials, the green synthesis of ZnONPs minimizes the need for synthetic reagents and lowers the total carbon footprint related to the production of nanoparticles.Keywords: green synthesis, wound healing, zinc oxide NPs, Saussurea obvallata, antimicrobial