Ultrasonic Encapsulation Revolutionizes Wound Care with Aloe Vera Nanocapsules

In the pursuit of advanced wound dressing solutions, researchers have discovered the remarkable potential of Aloe vera nanocapsules, harnessing the healing properties of Aloe vera extract and embedding them within cotton fabric using a highly efficient ultrasonic extraction and encapsulation process. This innovative approach offers several advantages over traditional wound dressing methods, promising rapid healing, enhanced antimicrobial protection, and improved patient comfort.

Ultrasonic Encapsulation Revolutionizes Wound Care: Introducing Aloe Vera Nanocapsules for Enhanced Healing and Antimicrobial Protection

Harnessing the Power of Aloe Vera Extract with Sonication: Aloe vera, a succulent plant renowned for its medicinal properties, has long been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments, including burns, skin irritations, and wounds. Its active ingredients, namely aloesin, acemannan, and gibberellins, possess potent anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and antioxidant activities, making it a natural choice for wound healing applications.
Ultrasonic extraction is a well-established technique for the isolation of bioactive compounds from plants. The ultrasonically-assisted extraction of Aloe vera compounds offers advantages such as enhanced extraction efficiency and preservation of bioactive compounds due to its non-thermal nature. The use of ultrasonic waves facilitates the disruption of cell walls, leading to higher yields of beneficial compounds and excellent extract quality.

Ultrasonically-Assisted Nanoencapsulation: A New Frontier in Wound Dressing

To effectively incorporate Aloe vera extract into a wound dressing material, the research group of Ghayempour developed a novel ultrasonic encapsulation process. This technique utilizes the power of ultrasound waves to generate tiny nanocapsules, measuring approximately 55-70 nanometers in diameter. These nanocapsules encapsulate the Aloe vera extract, protecting its therapeutic properties while enabling controlled release at the wound site.

The ultrasonic extraction and encapsulation process involves the following steps:

1. Preparation of Aloe vera extract: The Aloe vera leaf is extracted using ethanol/water solution, followed by centrifugation to obtain the pure extract.
   The folowing protocol was used for the preparation of Aloe Vera extract: In order to extract Aloe vera, 0.25 g leaf of Aloe vera plant was added to 40 mL solution of aqueous ethanol (ethanol/water 1:3) in a beaker and sonicated with sonicator UP400St at 50% amplitude and 0.5 cycle for 5 min. The obtained mixture was centrifuged using a centrifuge for 10 min and supernatant was used as Aloe vera extract.
   Click here to learn more about ultrasonically intensified extraction of bioactive compounds from plants!
2. Forming microemulsion: The Aloe vera extract is blended with almond oil and Triton X-100, creating a microemulsion. Sonication is a highly efficient technique to create micro- and nano-emulsions.
3. Inclusion of Tragacanth gum: Tragacanth gum, a natural polysaccharide, is added to the microemulsion, forming a W/O/W microemulsion.
4. Nanocapsule formation: Ultrasonic irradiation of the W/O/W microemulsion in the presence of aluminum chloride triggers the formation of spherical nanocapsules. Aluminum chloride acts as a crosslinking agent, facilitating the interaction between Aloe vera extract and Tragacanth gum.
5. Encapsulation and stabilization on cotton fabric: The cotton fabric is immersed in the microemulsion containing nanocapsules, enabling ultrasonic irradiation to encapsulate the nanocapsules onto the fabric.

   The protocol of process steps 2 – 5 include the following procedure: Encapsulation process was started with sonication of a mixture containing 3 mL Aloe vera extract, 0.2 mL Triton X-100 0.1% and almond oil using the Hielscher sonicator UP400St at 100% amplitude and 0.5 cycle for 5 min. The prepared microemulsion was added to 100 mL Tragacanth gum 1% and Triton X-100 0.1% and the solution was sonicated to form a white microemulsion. The cotton fabric was immersed into the microemulsion for 5 min and aluminum chloride 2% was added to the solution. Ultrasonic waves led to encapsulation and loading of Aloe vera extract on the cotton fabric. Finally, the cotton fabric loaded with nanocapsules was washed with distilled water.

6. Washing and drying: The fabric is washed with distilled water to remove any excess materials and then dried to obtain the final product.

Enhanced Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Properties

The resulting Aloe vera nanocapsule-impregnated cotton fabric exhibits remarkable antimicrobial and wound healing properties:

• Antimicrobial Activity: The nanocapsules release Aloe vera extract in a controlled manner, providing sustained antimicrobial protection against a broad spectrum of bacteria, including E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans.
• Wound Healing Effects: The Aloe vera extract, released from the nanocapsules, stimulates wound healing by promoting cell growth, angiogenesis, and collagen production. In a scratch assay, the treated fabric showed a remarkable migration rate of 88% after 24 hours, indicating its ability to accelerate wound closure.
• Patient Comfort: The cotton fabric provides a soft, comfortable, and breathable substrate for the wound, minimizing discomfort and promoting patient well-being.

The development of Aloe vera nanocapsules embedded in cotton fabric represents a significant advancement in wound dressing technology. The combination of the therapeutic properties of Aloe veraas well as the high-quality ultrasonic extraction and encapsulation technique turn this manufacturing route into an efficiacious solution for rapid healing, enhanced antimicrobial protection, and improved patient outcomes. As research continues to explore the potential of nanocapsules and liposomes, they hold immense promise for revolutionizing medical care and pharmaceutical delivery.

High-Performance Probe-Type Sonicators for Extraction and Encapsulation

Hielscher Ultrasonics designs, manufactures and distributes high-performances sonicators for research and industrial manufacturing – supplying art-of-the-state ultrasonic homogenizers to many industries such as food, pharma, life science, nanotechnology and material science.
Recognized as technology leader in sonication processes, Hielscher Ultrasonics will offer you the ideal sonicator for your application and processing goals. The portfolio of sonication equipment ranges from compact hand-held sonicator to bench-top devices up to fully-industrial machines for automated production processes.
Our technical staff accompanies our customers with in-depth consultation, technical training and support.

Design, Manufacturing and Consulting – Quality Made in Germany

Hielscher ultrasonicators are well-known for their highest quality and design standards. Robustness and easy operation allow the smooth integration of our ultrasonicators into industrial facilities. Rough conditions and demanding environments are easily handled by Hielscher ultrasonicators.

Hielscher Ultrasonics is an ISO certified company and put special emphasis on high-performance ultrasonicators featuring state-of-the-art technology and user-friendliness. Of course, Hielscher ultrasonicators are CE compliant and meet the requirements of UL, CSA and RoHs.

The table below gives you an indication of the approximate processing capacity of our ultrasonicators: