A propolis enriched polyurethane-hyaluronic acid nanofibrous wound dressing with remarkable antibacterial and wound healing activities

Abstract

A biocompatible and antibacterial scaffold with efficient wound healing activity can be an appropriate option for wound dressing application. In this study, polyurethane-hyaluronic acid (PU-HA) nanofibrous wound dressing was fabricated and then enriched with three different concentrations of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP). The obtained samples were characterized by attenuated total reflectance/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, mechanical investigations, antibacterial tests, water uptake exam, and in vitro and in vivo evaluations. The PU-HA/1% EEP and PU-HA/2% EEP samples exhibited higher antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (2.36 ± 0.33 and 5.63 ± 0.87 mm), Escherichia coli (1.94 ± 0.12 and 3.18 ± 0.63 mm) in comparison with other samples. However, the PU-HA/1% EEP sample exhibited significantly higher biocompatibility for L929 fibroblast cells in comparison with PU-HA/2% EEP. Also, the PU-HA/1% EEP sample could significantly accelerate the wound healing progression and wound closure at the animal model. At the histopathological analyses, improved dermis development and collagen deposition at the healed wound area of the PU-HA/1% EEP sample in comparison with other groups was observed. These results indicate that 1 wt% EEP enriched PU-HA nanofibrous scaffold can be a promising candidate with considerable biocompatibility, wound healing, and antibacterial activities for further biomedical applications.