Development of gallic acid-loaded ethylcellulose fibers as a potential wound dressing material.

In this study, novel fibers were designed based on ethylcellulose (EC), loaded with different concentrations of gallic acid (GA) using the electrospinning technique, in order to investigate the potential of these materials as wound dressings. The chemical structure and morphology, along with the antimicrobial and biocompatibility tests of the EC_GA fibers were investigated. To observe the chemical interactions between the components, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used. The morphological analyzes were performed using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The uniaxial tensile test machine was used to obtain mechanical performance of the fibers. MTT assay was applied to get the biocompatibility properties of the fibers and antimicrobial test was applied to obtain the antimicrobial activity of the fibers. Based on the obtained results, the highest viability value of 67.4 % was obtained for 10%EC_100GA on the third day of incubation, demonstrating that with the addition of a higher concentration of GA, the cell viability increases. The antimicrobial tests, evaluated against Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, Escherichia (E.) coli, Pseudomonas (Ps.) aeruginosa and Candida (C.) albicans, showed a >90 % microbial reduction capacity correlated with a logarithmic reduction ranging from 0.63 to 1, for 10%EC_100 GA. In vitro release tests of GA from the fibers showed that GA was totally released from 10%EC_100 GA fibers after 2880 min, demonstrating a controlled release profile. These findings demonstrated that EC_GA fibers may be suitable for application in biomedical fields such as wound dressing materials. However, further studies should be performed to increase the biocompatibility properties of the fibers.

Fucoidan-loaded electrospun Polyvinyl-alcohol/Chitosan nanofibers with enhanced antibacterial activity for skin tissue engineering.

The polymeric nanofiber may interact and control certain regeneration processes at the molecular level to repair damaged tissues. This research focuses on the development of characterization and antibacterial capabilities of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/chitosan (CS) nanofibres containing fucoidan (FUC) for tissue engineering as a skin tissue substitute. A control group consisting of 13% PVA/(0.1)% CS nanofiber was prepared. To confer antibacterial properties to the nanofiber, 10, 20, and 30 mg of FUC were incorporated into this control group. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) proved the homogeneous and beadless structures of the nanofibers. The antibacterial activity of the 13% PVA/(0.1)% CS/(10, 20, 30) FUC was tested against the S.aureus and E.coli and the results showed that with FUC addition, the antibacterial activities of the nanofibers increased. The biocompatibility test was performed with a fibroblast cell line for 1, 3, and 7 days of incubation and the results demonstrated that FUC addition enhanced the bioactivity of the 13% PVA/(0.1)% CS nanofibers. In addition, the biocompatibility results showed that 13% PVA/(0.1)% CS/10 FUC had the highest viability value for all incubation periods compared to the others. In addition, the tensile test results showed that; the maximum tensile strength value was observed for 13% PVA/(0.1)% CS/10 FUC nanofibers.

Investigation of 3D-printed chitosan-xanthan gum patches.

In this study, using a new polymer combination of Chitosan(CH)/Xanthan Gum(XG) has been exhibited for wound dressing implementation by the 3D-Printing method, which was fabricated due to its biocompatible, biodegradable, improved mechanical strength, low degradation rate, and hydrophilic nature to develop cell-mimicking, cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Different concentrations of XG were added to the CH solution as 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1, and 2 wt% respectively in the formic acid/distilled water (1.5:8.5) solution and rheologically characterized to evaluate their printability. The results demonstrated that high mechanical strength, hydrophilic properties, and slow degradation rate were observed with the presence and increment of XG concentration within the 3D-Printed patches. Moreover, in vitro cell culture research was conducted by seeding NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells on the patches, proving the cell proliferation rate, viability, and adhesion. Finally, 1% XG and 4% CH containing 3D-Printed patches were great potential for wound dressing applications.

Fabrication of Electrospun Juglans regia (Juglone) Loaded Poly(lactic acid) Scaffolds as a Potential Wound Dressing Material.

Juglone (5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) (J) is a naphthoquinone structured allelochemical that is mostly found in the roots, leaves, nut-hulls, bark, and wood of walnut (Juglans regia). In this study, the biocompatibility, mechanical, thermal, chemical, morphological, and antimicrobial properties of the poly(lactic acid) (PLA) (w/v)/J (10, 20, 30 mg) electrospun scaffolds were investigated. Based on the results of the study, it was shown that juglone addition increased the antimicrobial properties of the scaffolds against the Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), compared to the neat PLA film after 24 h of contact time. According to the tensile test results, the addition of J made the scaffolds more flexible but decreased the mechanical strength. The cytotoxicity properties of the J-added scaffolds demonstrated a toxic behavior on the first day of incubation. However, with an increase in the J ratio, the fibroblast cell metabolic activity increased for all incubation periods.

Electrically Triggered Drug Delivery from Novel Electrospun Poly(Lactic Acid)/Graphene Oxide/Quercetin Fibrous Scaffolds for Wound Dressing Applications.

The novel controlled and localized delivery of drug molecules to target tissues using an external electric stimulus makes electro-responsive drug delivery systems both feasible and desirable, as well as entailing a reduction in the side effects. Novel micro-scaffold matrices were designed based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and graphene oxide (GO) via electrospinning. Quercetin (Q), a natural flavonoid, was loaded into the fiber matrices in order to investigate the potential as a model drug for wound dressing applications. The physico-chemical properties, electrical triggering capacity, antimicrobial assay and biocompatibility were also investigated. The newly fabricated PLA/GO/Q scaffolds showed uniform and smooth surface morphologies, without any beads, and with diameters ranging from 1107 nm (10%PLA/0.1GO/Q) to 1243 nm (10%PLA). The in vitro release tests of Q from the scaffolds showed that Q can be released much faster (up to 8640 times) when an appropriate electric field is applied compared to traditional drug-release approaches. For instance, 10 s of electric stimulation is enough to ensure the full delivery of the loaded Q from the 10%PLA/1%GO/Q microfiber scaffold at both 10 Hz and at 50 Hz. The antimicrobial tests showed the inhibition of bacterial film growth. Certainly, these materials could be loaded with more potent agents for anti-cancer, anti-infection, and anti-osteoporotic therapies. The L929 fibroblast cells cultured on these scaffolds were distributed homogeneously on the scaffolds, and the highest viability value of 82.3% was obtained for the 10%PLA/0.5%GO/Q microfiber scaffold. Moreover, the addition of Q in the PLA/GO matrix stimulated the production of IL-6 at 24 h, which could be linked to an acute inflammatory response in the exposed fibroblast cells, as a potential effect of wound healing. As a general conclusion, these results demonstrate the possibility of developing graphene oxide-based supports for the electrically triggered delivery of biological active agents, with the delivery rate being externally controlled in order to ensure personalized release.