Abstract
BACKGROUND: Curcumin, a well-known wound healing agent, faces clinical limitations due to its poor water solubility, rapid degradation, and short plasma half-life. To address these challenges, we developed a self-assembling peptide incorporating an antioxidant sequence (YGDEY), which is capable of not only delivering curcumin but also exhibiting additional bioactivity to enhance wound healing. METHODS: An antioxidant nanocarrier was developed via peptide self-assembly. To design an amphiphilic peptide for the nanocarrier assembly, antioxidant peptide sequence (YGDEY) as the hydrophilic segment and the hydrophobic block (WLWL) were incorporated to single peptide molecule. The peptide's self-assembly behavior and curcumin encapsulation were initially analyzed. Subsequent evaluations included cytocompatibility, cellular uptake, and antioxidant activity. RESULTS: Driven by strong interactions among their hydrophobic blocks (WLWL), the peptides formed well-defined nanostructures exhibiting high thermal stability. Furthermore, the encapsulation of curcumin within the micelle significantly improved its cellular penetration efficiency. When applied to fibroblast cells, the peptide-curcumin nanocomplexes exhibited synergistically enhanced antioxidant activity, which notably outperformed free curcumin and free peptide in scavenging reactive oxygen species. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the potential of the designed peptide-based nanocarrier to overcome intrinsic limitations of curcumin and enhance its therapeutic efficacy, providing a promising strategy for advanced wound healing applications.