From plant to patch: Okra-enriched wound dressings for superior tissue regeneration

Abstract

Natural polymers have gained increasing attention in wound-care research due to their biocompatibility and their capacity to support key cellular activities involved in tissue repair. Plant-derived polysaccharides have been investigated for their ability to contribute to moisture balance, cell adhesion, and matrix formation, processes essential for the early stages of healing. Okra mucilage (OM), a polysaccharide-rich extract obtained from Abelmoschus esculentus, contains structural and nutritional components that are known to influence cellular behavior and may therefore improve the initial cell–material interactions required for effective wound-dressing performance. In this study, OM was integrated into a commercially available hydrofiber wound dressing using a simple immersion method. The modified dressings were characterized by FTIR to confirm OM incorporation and were evaluated in vitro using Human Keratinocyte Cell Lines (HaCaT) through MTT-based viability assays and SEM analysis of cellular adhesion. OM-enriched dressings exhibited increased early-phase cell viability, most prominently at 24 hours, and demonstrated enhanced cell attachment compared with untreated dressings and controls. These findings suggest that OM can positively modulate early cellular responses relevant to wound repair when applied to an established hydrofiber platform.

Keywords

• Abelmoschus esculentus
• bioactive wound dressing
• Okra mucilage
• skin regeneration
• wound healing

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