Development of a poly(vinyl alcohol)/lysine electrospun membrane-based drug delivery system for improved skin regeneration

Nanofiber-based wound dressings are currently being explored as delivery systems of different biomolecules for avoiding skin infections as well as improve/accelerate the healing process. In the present work, a nanofibrous membrane composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and lysine (Lys) was produced by using the electrospinning technique. Further, anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen (IBP)) and antibacterial (lavender oil (LO)) agents were incorporated within the electrospun membrane through blend electrospinning and surface physical adsorption methods, respectively. The obtained results demonstrated that the PVA_Lys electrospun membranes incorporating IBP or LO displayed the suitable morphological, mechanical and biological properties for enhancing the wound healing process. Moreover, the controlled and sustained release profile attained for IBP was appropriate for the duration of the wound healing inflammatory phase, whereas the initial burst release of LO is crucial to prevent wound bacterial contamination. Indeed, the PVA_Lys_LO electrospun membranes were able to mediate a strong antibacterial activity against both S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, without compromising human fibroblasts viability. Overall, the gathered data emphasizes the potential of the PVA_Lys electrospun membranes-based drug delivery systems to be used as wound dressings.