Cerium oxide and peppermint oil loaded polyethylene oxide/graphene oxide electrospun nanofibrous mats as antibacterial wound dressings

Wound healing is a systematic response that can heal acute and chronic wounds by effectively regenerating new connective tissues with specific microstructures and function. Here, to improve the wound healing efficiency, encapsulation of cerium oxide (CeO2) and peppermint oil (PM oil) on polyethylene oxide/graphene oxide (PEO/GO) polymeric mats was done by electrospinning technique. The physico-chemical properties of the prepared nanofibrous mats were characterized by FTIR and UV-vis-NIR spectral analyses. The structural morphologies of the pristine and encapsulated mats were investigated using SEM and TEM analysis. The surface roughness and the thermal stability of the polymeric mats were evaluated by AFM and DSC studies. Further, the in vitro antibacterial activity of the nanofibrous mats were tested against gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). The fabricated nanofibrous mats were then evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity assay and the assessment indicated that the CeO2-PM oil-PEO/GO nanofibrous mat was less toxic to the L929 cell. The composite nanofibrous mat promotes wound healing as compared to plain CeO2 and PM oil loaded mats. The histological evaluations demonstrated that the incorporation of CeO2 and PM oil into PEO/GO nanofibrous mat accelerates the re-epithelialization and collagen deposition. Thus, the unique characteristics of CeO2-PM oil-PEO/GO nanofibrous mats make them a potential candidate to be applied as a wound dressing to prevent skin infections.