IN-VIVO EFFICACY STUDY OF RESVERATROL ENCAPSULATED BIOMIMETIC SKIN GRAFT FOR BURN TREATMENT

Vikash Kumar, Rajeev Ranjan, Dharmendra Kumar*

Severe burn injuries remain a major clinical challenge due to prolonged inflammation, excessive oxidative stress, delayed extracellular matrix remodeling, and impaired skin regeneration. This study evaluated the therapeutic potential of a drug-loaded porous microparticle composite graft (gel-drug-PMS) for enhancing burn wound healing in a hot metallic rod-induced third-degree burn rat model over 28 days. Animals were treated with gel-drug-PMS, gel-drug, or left untreated (control), and wound healing was assessed by visual observation, percentage wound closure, body weight, feed consumption, and collagen Type I content. The gel-drug-PMS-treated group demonstrated superior healing throughout the study. By Day 28, wound closure reached 76%, compared with 70% in the gel-drug group and 60% in the untreated controls. Visual examination revealed faster wound contraction, earlier granulation tissue formation, and improved re-epithelialization in animals receiving the composite graft. In addition, gel-drug-PMS significantly improved body weight recovery and feed consumption, indicating attenuation of the burn-induced hypermetabolic response and enhanced systemic recovery. Collagen Type I levels were markedly higher in the composite graft-treated group, suggesting enhanced fibroblast activity, extracellular matrix deposition, and dermal remodeling. The improved therapeutic performance of gel-drug-PMS is attributed to the synergistic effects of sustained antioxidant release, the extracellular matrix-mimicking porous scaffold, and bioactive peptide-functionalized microparticles, which together promote cellular infiltration, angiogenesis, collagen synthesis, and tissue regeneration while reducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Overall, the developed gel-drug-PMS composite graft significantly accelerated burn wound healing and improved both local tissue regeneration and systemic recovery compared with the gel-drug formulation and untreated controls. These findings highlight its potential as a promising bioactive wound dressing for the treatment of full-thickness burn injuries and support further preclinical and clinical investigations for translational burn care applications.