Electrospun poly (E-Caprolactone) nanofiber membranes blended with natural antibacterial agents for potential wound dressing applications

Abstract

The present study aims to produce natural drug-loaded poly(£-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibrous membranes as potential wound dressing material using the electrospinning technique. The production of continuous jets that yield beads-free, smooth, and uniform fibers is an indication of good nanofiber morphology. Poly(£- caprolactone)/eggshell membrane (PCL/ESM), poly(£-caprolactone)/eggshell (PCL/ES), poly(£-caprolactone)/curcumin (PCL/Cur), and poly(£-caprolactone)/£- poly-L-lysine (PCL/E-PL) nanofiber membranes of various concentrations have been successfully fabricated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), tensile strength test (TT), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and water contact angle measurement (WCA) were used to investigate the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of each of the nanofiber membranes. Similarly, the membranes were evaluated for their water uptake ability, degradability, water vapour transmission rate, water retention capacity, cell viability, and antibacterial activity. The FESEM results of the membranes revealed bead less and uniform fibers, suggesting good dispersion of the active agents. The various formulations have confirmed molecular interactions via a change in peak intensities, shifting of peak positions, and the appearance of the additional peak as demonstrated by the ATR-FTIR and XRD analyses. The membrane incorporated with 6% ES showed the highest tensile strength of 4.85±0.63 MPa than the other active agents. The WCA of various formulations decreased with the addition of active agents such as PCL/ES 6% nanofiber membrane demonstrated the least WCA of 99.98±2.70°. The results of the water uptake ability of the various membranes indicated a decrease according to their active agents and their concentrations with PCL/ £-PL 3.5% demonstrating the highest water uptake o f429% after 72 h due to the presence of hydrophilic functional groups. The degradation process of the membranes occurred mainly on the membrane’s surface and the highest weight loss was exhibited after 14 days by the degradation of PCL/E-PL 3.5%. Overall porosity is 79.79±2.47%, as indicated by PCL/E-PL 1.5%, while PCL revealed the lowest value, which is 37.85±7.41% due to the material's strong hydrophobicity. The highest antibacterial activity was shown by the membranes with the highest concentration in the various formulations, in the following order: PCL/ESM 2.5% < PCL/Cur 18% < PCL/ES 2% < PCL/E-PL 3.5%. The results have shown that PCL/ESM 2.5%, PCL/Cur 18%, PCL/ES 2%, and PCL/E-PL 3.5% can be used as potential wound dressing materials, with PCL/E-PL 3.5% nanofiber membranes demonstrating the most favourable performance. This is based on the physicochemical, mechanical, and biochemical properties of the electrospun nanofiber membranes. The L929 fibroblast cells did not exhibit any cytotoxic effects and had the maximum antibacterial activity above 99% against bacterial strains, with cell viability values of 92.42±1.63% and 81.57±0.52% after 24 h and 74 h of incubation, respectively. According to the study, the PCL/ESM 2.5%, PCL/Cur 18%, PCL/ES 2%, and PCL/E-PL 3.5% membranes can be possible candidates for potential wound dressing applications.