Boron and Poloxamer (F68 and F127) Containing Hydrogel Formulation for Burn Wound Healing Selami Demirci 1 & Ayşegül Doğan 1 & Emre Karakuş 2 & Zekai Halıcı 3 & Atila Topçu 3 & Elif Demirci 4 & Fikrettin Sahin 1 Received: 11 February 2015 /Accepted: 8 April 2015 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015 Abstract Burn injuries, the most common and destructive forms of wounds, are generally accompanied with life- threatening infections, inflammation, reduced angiogenesis, inadequate extracellular matrix production, and lack of growth factor stimulation. In the current study, a new antimicrobial carbopol-based hydrogel formulated with boron and pluronic block copolymers was evaluated for its healing activity using in vitro cell culture techniques and an experimental burn mod- el. Cell viability, gene expression, and wound healing assays showed that gel formulation increased wound healing poten- tial. In vitro tube-like structure formation and histopathologi- cal examinations revealed that gel not only increased wound closure by fibroblastic cell activity, but also induced vascular- ization process. Moreover, gel formulation exerted remarkable antimicrobial effects against bacteria, yeast, and fungi. Migra- tion, angiogenesis, and contraction-related protein expressions including collagen, α-smooth muscle actin, transforming growth factor-β1, vimentin, and vascular endothelial growth factor were considerably enhanced in gel-treated groups. Macrophage-specific antigen showed an oscillating expres- sion at the burn wounds, indicating the role of initial macro- phage migration to the wound site and reduced inflammation phase. This is the first study indicating that boron containing hydrogel is able to heal burn wounds effectively. The formu- lation promoted burn wound healing via complex mecha- nisms including stimulation of cell migration, growth factor expression, inflammatory response, and vascularization. Keywords Boron . Burn . Pluronic . Silver sulfadiazine . Wound healing Introduction Burn injuries characterized with the depth of the damage are not common among other traumas but cause mortality by enabling the loss of body fluid and infection [1, 2]. As the skin is subjected to high temperature, tissue is damaged by molecular collisions resulted in conformational changes, al- tered membrane structure, and nucleic acid functions, which depends on the temperature and exposure time [3, 4]. Coagu- lation and loss of proteins including immunoglobulins cause irreversible tissue damage and sensitivity to infections [5]. Moreover, disrupted membrane function allows severe chang- es in water and sodium distributions which are main reasons for the morbidity [3]. Subsequently, loss of extracellular fluid followed by sodium depletion results in reduction of blood volume and change in electrolyte balance, leading to death in burn patients [6]. Although burn injury assessment differs according to the severity of the trauma, therapeutic applications should address the above situations. Development of agents that are able to overcome infections, support wound healing process, and Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12011-015-0338-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Fikrettin Sahin fsahin@yeditepe.edu.tr 1 Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Yeditepe University, Kayisdagi, Istanbul, Turkey 2 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ataturk University School of Veterinary Medicine, Erzurum, Turkey 3 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey 4 Department of Pathology, Medical Faculty, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey Biol Trace Elem Res DOI 10.1007/s12011-015-0338-z