Diabetes mellitus is a disease with a high mortality rate due to control dysfunction in glucose levels, damage to protein and lipid metabolism. Hyperglycemia or high blood-glucose level causes an increase of oxidative stress and insulin resistance result in open wounds with long-term healing problems. Frequently, they cause the need of amputation. Wounds are also caused by damage to the sensory, motor, and autonomic nerves. The presence of ulcers or gangrene in diabetics, make them more susceptible to bacteria and fungi. Each stage in the wound healing process is influenced by various parameters: neutrophil, macrophages, fibrocytes, fibroblasts, collagen densities, and wound width.
The method of wound healing in diabetics has been widely studied were the provision of sufficient insulin, antibiotics, surgical debridement in chronic wounds, off-loading ulcer area, wound dressing containing cream silver sulphadiazine, polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) gel, and iodine.
Indonesia has natural resources in the form of seaweed that grows along the coastline. Sargassum duplicatum brown seaweed contains a polysaccharide, alginate. Sodium alginate from S.duplicatum, brown seaweed extract has antibacterial activity and acts as a strong wound absorber and accelerates cell regeneration. Okra plant ( Abelmoschus esculentusL.) contains flavonoid compounds that act as antioxidants. Futhermore, okra fruit extract has antidiabetic and antihyperlipidemic activity. The combination of sodium alginate and okra fruit extract in the form of an ointment can be used to accelerate the healing process of open wounds of mice suffering from diabetes. It can be seen by a significant reduction in the number of neutrophils, macrophages, and wound width until day 14 in diabetic mice.
Author: Pratiwi Pudjiastuti
Full paper of this research: Characterization of Alginate from Sargassum duplicatum and the Antioxidant Effect of Alginate–Okra Fruit Extracts Combination for Wound Healing on Diabetic Mice
