Combined Use of Photobiomodulation and Curcumin-Loaded Iron Oxide Nanoparticles Significantly Improved Wound Healing in Diabetic Rats Compared to Either Treatment Alone

Introduction: Here, we assess the therapeutic effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) and curcumin (CUR)-loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), alone or together, on the maturation step of a type 1 diabetes (DM1) rat wound model. Methods: Full-thickness wounds were inflicted in 36 rats with diabetes mellitus (DM) induced by the administration of streptozotocin (STZ). The rats were randomly allocated to four groups. Group one was untreated (control); group two received CUR; group 3 received PBM (890 nm, 80 Hz, 0.2 J/cm2); group 4 received a combination of PBM plus CUR. On days 0, 4, 7, and 15, we measured microbial flora, wound closure fraction, tensile strength, and stereological analysis. Results: All treatment groups showed a substantial escalation in the wound closure rate, a substantial reduction in the count of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a substantial improvement in wound strength, a substantially improvement in stereological parameters compared to the control group, however, the PBM + CUR group was superior to the other treatment groups (all, P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: All treatment groups showed significantly improved wound healing in the DM1 rat model. However, the PBM + CUR group was superior to the other treatment groups and the control group in terms of wound strength and stereological parameters.