Electrospun polymeric nanofibres as wound dressings: A review.

Skin wounds have significant morbidity and mortality rates associated. This is explained by the limited effectiveness of the currently available treatments, which in some cases do not allow the reestablishment of the structure and functions of the damaged skin, leading to wound infection and dehydration. These drawbacks may have an impact on the healing process and ultimately prompt patients' death. For this reason, researchers are currently developing new wound dressings that enhance skin regeneration. Among them, electrospun polymeric nanofibres have been regarded as promising tools for improving skin regeneration due to their structural similarity with the extracellular matrix of normal skin, capacity to promote cell growth and proliferation and bactericidal activity as well as suitability to deliver bioactive molecules to the wound site. In this review, an overview of the recent studies concerning the production and evaluation of electrospun polymeric nanofibrous membranes for skin regenerative purposes is provided. Moreover, the current challenges and future perspectives of electrospun nanofibrous membranes suitable for this biomedical application are highlighted.

Production and characterization of polycaprolactone- hyaluronic acid/chitosan- zein electrospun bilayer nanofibrous membrane for tissue regeneration.

A bilayered electrospun membrane was produced in this study, using the electrospinning technique, to be applied as a skin substitute. The upper layer of the membrane was comprised by hyaluronic acid and polycaprolactone in order to provide mechanical support and also to act as a physical barrier against external threats. Chitosan and zein were used to produce the bottom layer that was loaded with salicylic acid, in order to confer anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity to this layer. The physicochemical properties of the membranes were determined and the obtained results showed that the produced electrospun membrane display an ideal porosity, appropriate mechanical properties, controlled water loss and a suitable salicylic acid release profile. In addition, membranes did not exhibit any toxic effects for human fibroblast cells, since cells were able to adhere, spread and proliferate. Furthermore, no biofilm formation was noticed on membranes' surface along the experiments. In conclusion, the gathered data reveal that this electrospun membrane has suitable properties to be used as a wound dressing.

3D Printed scaffolds with bactericidal activity aimed for bone tissue regeneration.

Nowadays, the incidence of bone disorders has steeply ascended and it is expected to double in the next decade, especially due to the ageing of the worldwide population. Bone defects and fractures lead to reduced patient's quality of life. Autografts, allografts and xenografts have been used to overcome different types of bone injuries, although limited availability, immune rejection or implant failure demand the development of new bone replacements. Moreover, the bacterial colonization of bone substitutes is the main cause of implant rejection. To vanquish these drawbacks, researchers from tissue engineering area are currently using computer-aided design models or medical data to produce 3D scaffolds by Rapid Prototyping (RP). Herein, Tricalcium phosphate (TCP)/Sodium Alginate (SA) scaffolds were produced using RP and subsequently functionalized with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) through two different incorporation methods. The obtained results revealed that the composite scaffolds produced by direct incorporation of AgNPs are the most suitable for being used in bone tissue regeneration since they present appropriate mechanical properties, biocompatibility and bactericidal activity.