A Novel Gold Calreticulin Nanocomposite Based on Chitosan for Wound Healing in a Diabetic Mice Model

The development of new nanomaterials to promote wound healing is rising, because of their topical administration and easy functionalization with molecules that can improve and accelerate the process of healing. A nanocomposite of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) functionalized with calreticulin was synthetized and evaluated. The ability of the nanocomposite to promote proliferation and migration was determined in vitro, and in vivo wound healing was evaluated using a mice model of diabetes established with streptozotocin (STZ). In vitro, the nanocomposite not affect the cell viability and the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Moreover, the nanocomposite promotes the clonogenicity of keratinocytes, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts, and accelerates fibroblast migration. In vivo, mice treated with the nanocomposite presented significantly faster wound healing. The histological evaluation showed re-epithelization and the formation of granular tissue, as well as an increase of collagen deposition. Therefore, these results confirm the utility of AuNPs–calreticulin nanocomposites as potential treatment for wound healing of diabetic ulcers.