Poly e-caprolactone/nanostarch composite nanofibrous wound dressing with antibacterial property and pH stimulus drug release

Chronic wound infections pose a major threat in wound care management. Recently, many functional materials have been introduced, to fabricate wound dressings. These wound dressing materials not only cover the wound but also facilitate its healing process. In this study, a novel nanostarch (NS) laden composite nanofibrous membrane of PCL was developed for wound dressing. Electrospun membrane loaded with 25 wt% NS (25NS@PCL), showed an average fiber diameter of 175 +/- 37 nm with enhanced hydrophilicity, water uptake, water permeability, and biodegradation. The membrane exhibited good blood compatibility along with lower coagulation properties and high cell proliferation. Furthermore, this membrane displayed pH stimuli drug (gentamicin) releasing behavior and diffusion-controlled release kinetics. The drug-loaded 25NS@PCL membrane imparted antibacterial potency for a prolonged time against both Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus aureus. These results confirmed that the 25NS@PCL membrane can be a promising candidate for the development of pH-responsive transdermal drug delivery material.

Automated summary

A novel nanostarch-loaded composite nanofibrous membrane of PCL has been developed for wound dressing, showing enhanced hydrophilicity, antibacterial potency, and potential as a pH-responsive transdermal drug delivery material.