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Aim The aim of the present study was to produce chrysin–curcumin-loaded PCL-PEG nanofibres by an electrospinning technique and to evaluate the biological activity of the chrysin–curcumin-loaded PCL-PEG fibres for wound healing and its related genes using in vivo methods.Materials and methods The electrospinning method was carried out for the preparation of the chrysin, curcumin and chrysin–curcumin-loaded PCL-PEG nanofibres with different concentrations. FTIR and SEM were performed to characterize the chemical structures and morphology of the nanofibres. In vitro drug release, as well as in vivo wound-healing studies were investigated in male rats. The expressions of genes related to the wound-healing process were also evaluated by real-time PCR.Results Our study showed that the chrysin–curcumin-loaded nanofibres have anti-inflammatory properties in several stages of the wound-healing process by affecting the IL-6, MMP-2, TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and iNOS gene expression. Our results demonstrated that the effect of the chrysin-loaded nanofibre, the curcumin-loaded nanofibre and the chrysin–curcumin-loaded nanofibre in the wound-healing process is dose dependent and in accordance with the obtained results in that it might affect the inflammation phase more than the other stages of the wound-healing process.Conclusion We have introduced chrysin–curcumin-loaded PCL-PEG nanofibres as a novel compound for shortening the duration of the wound-healing process.

Peripheral nerve injuries with a poor prognosis are common. Evening primrose oil (EPO) has beneficial biological effects and immunomodulatory properties. Since electrical activity plays a major role in neural regeneration, the present study investigated the effects of electrical stimulation (ES), combined with evening primrose oil (EPO), on sciatic nerve function after a crush injury in rats. In anesthetized rats, the sciatic nerve was crushed using small haemostatic forceps followed by ES and/or EPO treatment for 4 weeks. Functional recovery of the sciatic nerve was assessed using the sciatic functional index. Histopathological changes of gastrocnemius muscle atrophy were investigated by light microscopy. Electrophysiological changes were assessed by the nerve conduction velocity of sciatic nerves. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the remyelination of the sciatic nerve following the interventions. EPO + ES, EPO, and ES obviously improved sciatic nerve function assessed by the sciatic functional index and nerve conduction velocity of the sciatic nerve at 28 days after operation. Expression of the peripheral nerve remyelination marker, protein zero (P0), was increased in the treatment groups at 28 days after operation. Muscle atrophy severity was decreased significantly while the nerve conduction velocity was increased significantly in rats with sciatic nerve injury in the injury + EPO + ES group than in the EPO or ES group. Totally speaking, the combined use of EPO and ES may produce an improving effect on the function of sciatic nerves injured by a crush. The increased expression of P0 may have contributed to improving the functional effects of combination therapy with EPO and ES as well as the electrophysiological and histopathological features of the injured peripheral nerve.