Electrospun poly(L-lactic acid) fiber mats containing a crude Garcinia cowa extract for wound dressing applications

Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) fiber mats containing a crude extract of Garcinia cowa Roxb. (GC) were prepared by electrospinning. The extract was introduced at a level of either at 30 or 50 % with respect to the weight of PLLA. The fibers of both the neat and the GC-loaded PLLA fibers were smooth, with average diameters of 0.80-1.13 mu m. The characteristics of the release of GC from the GC-loaded PLLA fiber mats were assessed by a total immersion method in acetate or phosphate buffer solution that contained 0.5 % v/v Tween 80 and 3 % v/v methanol (hereafter, A/T/M or P/T/M medium) at either 32 or 37 degrees C, respectively. The maximum cumulative amount of GC released from the GC-loaded PLLA fiber mats in the P/T/M medium was greater than that released in the A/T/M medium. The antioxidant activity of the GC-loaded PLLA fiber mats, assessed using a 1,1-diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, remained even after they had been exposed to a high electrical potential. The antimicrobial activity of the GC-loaded mats was greatest against Straphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Straphylococcus aureus DMST 20654. Lastly, almost all of the GC-loaded PLLA fiber mats, except for those that contained 50 % GC, were found to be nontoxic to normal human dermal fibroblasts.