PLGA/Gelatin-based electrospun nanofiber scaffold encapsulating antibacterial and antioxidant molecules for accelerated tissue regeneration

A full-thickness or hard-to-heal wound pose a significant challenge in clinical feilds. These wounds are very prone to microbial infection, lead to an elevated level of reactive oxygen species, and require a skin regeneration product for rapid healing. Considering these issues, we developed ciprofloxacin hydrochloride and quercetin encapsulated PLGA/Gelatin based electrospun nanofibers for wound healing. Morphology and diameter of nanofibers were determined by SEM. FT-IR and powder-XRD was used to determine any possible physic-chemical interaction and change in the crystalline property of drugs, respectively. In-vitro swelling ratio and weight loss was measured to simulate in-vivo degradation pattern of scaffold. High drugs entrapment with a bi-phasic sustained release profile was observed in phosphate buffer (pH =7.4). DPPH scavenging potential and antibacterial activity against S. aureus on agar plate were utilized to evaluate antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The biocompatibility of developed nanofiber was assessed by MTT assay using 3T6-Swiss albino fibroblast and hemocompatibility assay using harvested erythrocytes from human blood. After excising full-thickness wounds in Wistar rats, the healing efficacies of nanofiber were evaluated, this showed accelerated healing with complete re-epithelialization within 16 days. Hematoxylin & eosin staining and hydroxyproline assay confirmed the in-vivo wound healing observation. These findings support the use of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride and quercetin-loaded PLGA/Gelatin based nanofiber as a dressing material for full-thickness wounds.

Automated summary

We developed ciprofloxacin hydrochloride and quercetin encapsulated PLGA/Gelatin based electrospun nanofibers for the treatment of full-thickness or hard-to-heal wounds. The nanofibers exhibited high drugs entrapment with a bi-phasic sustained release profile. They also showed antioxidant and antibacterial properties, as well as biocompatibility. In vivo studies in Wistar rats demonstrated accelerated healing and complete re-epithelialization within 16 days. These findings suggest the potential use of these nanofibers as a dressing material for full-thickness wounds.