NANOCOMPOSITE OF Ag(0)NPs SUPPORTED ON SIO2 MICROSPHERES INDUCES WOUND HEALING IN EXPERIMENTAL SKIN INCISIONS

We investigated the influence of coverage the surface of silica microspheres with silver nanoparticles (Ag-0 NPs) in to skin wound healing. We prepared silica microspheres, either pristine or doped with Ag-0 NPs that were created after the hydrolysis/condensation of tetraethoxysilane, according to Stober methodology; these substrates were characterized through spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The wound healing activity was tested and monitored on male Wistar rats (n=15) during 12 days. Finally, a skin biopsy samples were analyzed through hematoxylin-eosin and Masson-trichrome stainings or by immune histochemical localization of fibroblastic and proliferative cells markers. Silica microspheres of 300 nm in size, carrying Ag-0 NPs of about 1.6-3 nm were synthesized and employed for skin tissue repairing. The animals that received treatment with pristine or Ag-doped silica nanosystems showed similar recovery patterns; nevertheless, the animals treated with Ag doped microspheres exhibited additional features such as an enlarged presence of hair follicles, insignificant inflammatory infiltrate and an epithelial thickness of a lesser extent. Similarly, in the same group an important presence of blood microvessels, fibloblast and proliferating cells were observed. These results suggest that silica microspheres coated with Ag-0 NPs induce significantly better skin wound reparation effects through the modulation of angiogenic, inflammatory, fibrogenic, and proliferative mechanisms.