30.6

Clinical Studies Using Drug Delivery Vehicle

The ultimate goal of any researcher behind developing any wound dressing is its

application on human beings. To achieve that goal, it needs to overcome some

hurdles. The clinical trial is the ultimate hurdle through which every wound dressing

material needs to pass. In clinical trial, newly developed dressing materials which

showed their efficacy in in vivo studies are applied on patients. The nanohybrid

hydrogel of starch-zeolite impregnated with chamomile extract showed its efficacy

in in vivo studies. Now, the treatment of some refractory ulcers of patients at

different portion of the body with this developed nanohybrid hydrogels triggers

the healing of the wound area with time. Further, the colour of the wound’s surface

also changes with time. Further, the formation of granulation tissue and epitheliali-

zation have been evident from histopathological data. Hence, the controlled release

of the impregnated herbal drug from the developed nanohybrid hydrogel wound

dressing accelerates the healing process (Salehi et al. 2017). In another report, almost

20 patients of either sex having age between 15 and 65 years are treated with herbal

drug ‘panchavalkala’-loaded solution, film and electrospun scaffold to understand

the efficacy of the developed dressing materials (Biswas et al. 2018a) (Fig. 30.3).

The dressings are changed after every 4 days, and contraction of the wound size,

development in wound edges and margins, decrease in peripheral tissue edema,

induration and wound necrotic tissue content are documented with time. The

structural advantages of scaffold allow the exudates to come out and maintain the

moisture level of the wound which in turn accelerates the healing rate. Further, better

cell proliferation and faster release of the herbal drug from the scaffold allow it to

heal the wounds in a faster rate. The biopsy report suggests appearance of vasculari-

zation and good re-epithelialization with time. Most of the chronic wounds delay in

healing because of the imperfect revascularization and re-epithelialization. But, in

this clinical trial, gradual reduction of wound exudates, improved vascularization

and re-epithelialization are observed which clearly indicate toward proper wound

management. Hence, the developed drug-loaded dressing materials are very

promising as wound dressing materials.

30.7

Conclusion and Future Outlook

The wound dressing material is one of the key factors in management of wounds,

and proper selection of dressing material is very tricky and essential for proper

healing of a wound. Cream, hydrogels, scaffolds, hydrocolloids and other advance

dressing materials are capable to maintain moist condition at the wound site, absorb

or drain the exudates and deliver therapeutic agents. Further, they allow the cell

migration, proliferation and differentiations. Natural and synthetic biopolymers are

biocompatible and biodegradable in nature which makes them automatic choice for

wound dressing. Further, these polymeric materials are capable to deliver the

therapeutic agents in a sustained and controlled manner to trigger the healing rate

as evident from in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies. The herbal drugs have some

30

Polymeric Vehicles for Controlled Delivery of Ayurvedic Drugs for Wound. . .

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