Bioglan together with Reig Jofré and Malmö University will present the work “A modern hydrogen peroxide cream for wound healing” as a poster at the 69th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, February 4-8, in New Orleans, LA.

Abstract to Poster 3700 

Hydrogen peroxide, H₂O₂, solution 1-6% has been used for cleaning of wounds for many years but is not recommended nowadays due to its concern about potential tissue damaging effects. The product studied here is a H₂O₂ cream which has been on the market for many years for treatment and prevention of minor skin infections. The H₂O₂ is stabilised through embedding in a lipid crystalline structure resulting in a depot cream. The lipids used boost the antimicrobial effect of the hydrogen peroxide and the sustained release system results in a product with long lasting antimicrobial effect in situ. The cream is an excellent alternative to topical antibiotics without the risk for bacterial resistance which is an increasing concern. An increased clinical effect has been observed for wound healing when using this cream and this effect is more than an antimicrobial cleaning effect. The exact role and therapeutic levels of H₂O₂ is not completely understood even if recent knowhow of H₂O₂ as part of the signalling messenger in wound healing is available. The studies presented here are aiming to correlate the concentration of endogeneous H₂O₂ at the wound site and the significance of exogenous hydrogen peroxide in wound healing. H₂O₂ is in the body a naturally occurring mediator which is released in inflammatory processes. It could positively affect wound healing by increasing angiogenesis, facilitate fibroblast proliferation and activity, and increase wound constriction. At the same time excessive H₂O₂ may be toxic and prevent wound healing. Release of H₂O₂ from various formulations including 1% solution and cream, 0.5% solution and cream, and 0.25% cream through flow cells over a period of four hours using dialysis membranes was determined. The release of H₂O₂ was proportional to the concentration in the donor formulations. The concentration released to the wound surface was correlated to bridging cell proliferation studies using cultures of L929 mouse fibroblast and MTS-assay for 24 h and 48 h, respectively. The concentrations of H₂O₂ ranged from 10^-3 to 10^-10 M, where 10^-3 M and 10^-5 M H₂O₂had a profound antiproliferative effect on the L929 cells, compared to the control without addition of H₂O₂. Whether H₂O₂ at the concentrations 10^-6 to 10^-10 M are beneficial for cell proliferation or not, is currently investigated. In conclusion, there is a steady release rate of H₂O₂ over the dialysis membrane, and H₂O₂ can inhibit L929 cell proliferation at high concentrations.