Higher biostability of rh-aFGF-carbomer 940 hydrogel and its effect on wound healing in a diabetic rat model

Hydrogels are excellent drug delivery carriers with excellent ductility. Here, we report the design of a higher biostability of a recombinant human acidic fibroblast growth factor (rh-aFGF) carbomer hydrogel formulation. To verify the optimality of this formula, we prepared various prescriptions and tested the resulting physical properties including micromorphology, long-term stability, accelerated stability, and destructive test. Furthermore, the efficacy for promoting wound healing in full-thickness injury and scald wound diabetic rat models was explored. We found that rh-aFGF-carbomer hydrogel had good physical properties. It was stable for 24 months at 5 ± 3 °C, and for 6 months at 25 ± 3 °C. In vivo, the rh-aFGF-carbomer 940 hydrogel achieved a remarkable promotion of skin wound healing in diabetic rats with full-thickness injuries or scald wounds. Our data suggest that rh-aFGF-carbomer hydrogel may have applications for the treatment of diabetic ulcers combined with other wounds.