Coaxial nanofibers from poly(caprolactone)/ poly(vinyl alcohol)/Thyme and their antibacterial properties

Abstract

Today, with substantial global demand from patients suffering from wounds and burns, the wound care sector has gained great deal of interest in medical industry. Herein, coaxial electrospun poly(caprolactone)/poly(vinyl alcohol) core–shell nanofibers incorporated with Thyme extract in the core structure were prepared using coaxial electrospinning, and the effect of various operational parameters such as polymer concentration, applied voltage, flow rate, distance, and Thyme concentration on nanofiber diameter were studied. Physical and mechanical properties of the nanofibers were determined by analytical techniques. The results revealed that desired nanofibers with uniform surface morphology and acceptable tensile strength could be obtained at applied voltage of 15 kV, needle tip-target of 13 cm, core flow rate of 0.2 mL/h, and shell flow rate of l mL/h. Moreover, MTT assay shows that the nanofibers are highly biocompatible regardless of Thyme encapsulation. Antibacterial activities of the prepared core–shell nanofibers were also examined against two bacteria—gram-positive Staphylococcus and gram-negative Escherichia. Encapsulation of 5% (w/v) Thyme extract concentration in the core–shell poly(caprolactone)/poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers led to high antibacterial activity of the produced nanofibers.