Investigation of wound healing effect of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles with nepeta cataria plant extract in an in vivo wound model

The wound healing process has become an important health problem, especially due to the increase in antimicrobial resistance. In this study, it was aimed to synthesize and characterize silver nanoparticles with an environmentally friendly method using Nepeta cataria plant extract and to investigate the healing effects of silver nanoparticles integrated into pure vaseline on the in vivo wound model created in rats. For this purpose, silver nanoparticles were biosynthesised (Nc-AgNP) with Nepeta cataria (catnip) plant extract, and the synthesised nanoparticles were characterised by methods such as UV-vis, FE-SEM, TEM, EDX and XRD. It was determined that the synthesised Nc-AgNPs gave a strong absorbance peak at 438 nm wavelength in the UV-vis spectrophotometer. FE-SEM and TEM analyses of Nc-AgNPs showed that the synthesised nanoparticles had a spherical morphology. Based on XRD analysis, the average crystallite size of Nc-AgNPs was calculated at 15,74 nm. At the same time, EDX spectrum analysis exhibited a dominant emission energy at 3 keV, indicative of silver nanoparticles. The wound healing properties of Nc-AgNPs were evaluated in vivo on wound models created in a total of 20 Wistar albino male rats, divided into 4 groups. After 10 days of treatment, the highest wound closure rate was 94% in the Vaseline+Nc-AgNP (Group IV) treatment group, 89% in the positive control group where silverdin (Group II) was applied, 70% in the vehicle control (Group III) group where vaseline was applied, and approximately 64% in the negative control (Group I) group. In light of the results obtained, Nc-AgNPs synthesised using Nepeta cataria plant extract are thought to be promising in terms of supporting and accelerating wound healing, and detailed toxicity studies are needed.