Phase separation-based electrospun Janus nanofibers loaded with Rana chensinensis skin peptides/silver nanoparticles for wound healing

Electrospun nanofibers have been widely used in various biomedical applications. However, electrospinning methods generally focus on monolithic and coaxial fibers while ignoring Janus fibers. In this study, Janus-structured nanofibers for wound healing were fabricated via uniaxial electrospinning based on the phase separation of polyvinylpyrrolidone and polycaprolactone in solution. To enhance the bioactivity and antibacterial activity of wound dressings based on the Janus nanofibers, Rana chensinensis skin peptides (RCSPs) and silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were successfully loaded into the Janus nanofibers. The Janus nanofibers exhibited a bead-free surface and a characteristic side-by-side interior structure. The thermal properties, wettability, and mechanical properties of the Janus nanofibers were studied. The Janus nanofibers were found to have low cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity and were able to accelerate wound healing, which was typical of re-epithelialization, fibroblast proliferation, and regeneration of capillaries and hair follicles within 14 days. The findings indicate that Janus nanofibers loaded with RCSPs and Ag-NPs are promising wound dressing for skin tissue engineering. (c) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

The study fabricated Janus-structured nanofibers for wound healing, loaded with RCSPs and Ag-NPs, which showed low cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity while accelerating wound healing. The Janus nanofibers are promising wound dressing for skin tissue engineering.