Dual action nanoparticles using microalgae extracts for chronic ulcers
Chronic ulcers are a major cause of morbidity and mortality with increasing prevalence. Ulcer healing is the ultimate therapeutic goal. Control of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and infection prevention are key factors to minimize inflammation and tissue damage in the healing process. The aim of this work is to take advantage of two remarkable properties of the green microalgae C. zofingiensis - the production of the highly antioxidative astaxanthin and a large amount of antibacterial fatty acids (FA) – and to combine them in a new therapeutic lipid nanoparticle for ulcer therapy (Figure 1). Thereby the project increases the pharmaceutical availability of the hydrophobic drug astaxanthin, circumvents its low bioavaliabality and chemical stability, all limiting its pharmaceutical significance until today. Nanoparticles will be characterized for their physical–chemical properties, cytotoxicity, in vitro proliferation enhancement, and wound healing properties toward normal human cells. Antioxidant activity of Dual-NanoMAE on 2D and 3D cell culture models will be monitored with FLIM-ROX, a sophisticated and sensitive technique developed by Prof. Dr. Ulrike Alexiev. Antimicrobial activity of nanoparticles will be evaluated against two reference biofilm forming bacterial strains, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Finally, the capability of Dual-NanoMAE to promote ulcer healing will be evaluated on a biofilm infected ulcer model based on human cells.