Chelidonium majus L. incorporated emulsion electrospun PCL/PVA_PEC nanofibrous meshes for antibacterial wound dressing applications

Abstract

Presently, there are many different types of wound dressings available on the market. Nonetheless, there is still a great interest to improve the performance and efficiency of these materials. Concerning that, new dressing materials containing natural products, such as medicinal plants that protect the wound from infections but also enhance skin regeneration have been or are being developed. Herein, we used for the first time a needleless emulsion electrospinning technique for incorporating <i>Chelidonium</i><i>majus</i> L. (<i>C. majus</i>), a medicinal plant widely known for its traditional therapeutic properties, in Polycaprolactone (PCL)/Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)_Pectin (PEC) nanofibrous meshes. Moreover, the potential use of these electrospun nanofibers as a carrier for <i>C. majus</i> was also explored. The results obtained revealed that the produced PCL/PVA_PEC nanofibrous meshes containing <i>C. majus</i> extract displayed morphological characteristics similar to the natural extracellular matrix of the skin (ECM). Furthermore, the produced meshes showed beneficial properties to support the healing process. Additionally, the <i>C. majus</i>-loaded PCL/PVA_PEC nanofibrous meshes inhibited <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (<i>S. aureus</i>) and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> (<i>P. aeruginosa</i>) growth, reaching a 3.82 Log reduction, and showed to be useful for controlled release, without causing any cytotoxic effect on the normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) cells. Hence, these findings suggest the promising suitability of this novel wound dressing material for prevention and treatment of bacterial wound infections.