Curcumin-loaded electrospun PHBV nanofibers as potential wound-dressing material

Advances in nanotechnology have led to the generation of many new wound-dressing materials with high surface area and high productivity at a low cost. The present study aims to fabricate curcumin-loaded nanofiber-based wound-dressing materials to enhance the bioavailability of curcumin and trigger the wound healing process. Curcumin (Cur) (0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5% [w/v])-loaded poly(3-hydroxy butyric acid-co-3-hydroxy valeric acid) (PHBV) nanofibers were successfully produced via electro-spinning. Morphological analysis revealed that the average fiber diameter of the nanofibers varied from 207 +/- 56 to 519 +/- 15 nm, depending on the curcumin concentration. The stiffness of nanofibers decreased with curcumin concentration. According to the release data, approximately 25% of the curcumin released in 30 min after the burst release. In addition, PHBV and PHBV/Cur nanofibers were not toxic to L929 mouse fibroblasts and enhanced the cell attachment and proliferation. Degradation studies, FTIR analysis, and swelling ratio measurements were also performed on nanofibers. Our results demonstrate that curcumin-loaded PHBV nanofibers can be used in wound-healing applications. (c) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.