Curcumin loaded Poly DL lactide and hyperbranched polyglycerol blended nanofibrous scaffold for wound dressing applications

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Curcumin loaded Poly DL lactide and hyperbranched polyglycerol blended nanofibrous scaffold for wound dressing applications Govindaraj Perumal1, A Maya Nandkumar2 and Mukesh Doble1 1 Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Biotechnology, India 2 Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Division of Microbiology - Biomedical Technology Wing, India Introduction: Electrospinning is the most effective approach for fabrication of the nanofibers with suitable diameter and alignment.[1] Recently hyperbranched polyglycerols (HPGs) has emerged as a promising polymer used to make tissue engineering scaffolds due to its three dimensional architecture, presence of highly functional groups for the attachment of specific molecules to improve the cell adhesion, absorption and proliferation of the cells.[2][3] Poly DL lactic acid (PDLA) is a biodegradable, biocompatible and US FDA approved polymer for human use and widely utilized in biomedical applications such as drug delivery and tissue engineering.[4][5] Consequently, electrospinning of PDLA used to fabricate the tissue engineering scaffolds by combining with other polymers or appropriate molecules/agents. Curcumin is a poly phenolic naturally occurring compound with variety of biological functions such as anti oxidant, anti tumor, anti bacterial, anti coagulation, anti proliferation and anti inflammatory.[6][7] In this work aimed to fabricate curcumin loaded PDLA – HPG to improve the bioavailability, controlled release, stability, supporting cell attachment and proliferation to augment the healing of wound tissues. Materials and Methods: Poly DL lactide (PDLA) and hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG) with molecular weight (Mn) of 15 kDa each were synthesized as per a reported procedure with modifications. Curcumin was purchased from Sigma Aldrich, India. Nanofibrous scaffold loaded with curcumin PDLA-HPG and PDLA-HPG were produced by electrospinning process through following parameters. PDLA (15 wt %), HPG (20 wt %) and curcumin (10 %) employed with 15 kV, 0.5 ml/hr flow rate, 12.5 cm distance at ambient conditions. The collector plate was covered with aluminium foil at predetermined distance from the blunt needle tip to collect the electrosprayed/electrospun nanofibers. A thick mat of nanofibers were carefully detached and dried under vacuum for 48 hrs at room temperature. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the fibers properties such as orientation, diameter and surface topography. Likewise, surface wettability of the fibers were determined by water contact angle method by placing a drop of ultra pure water on the fiber mat by with Goniometer (KRUSS) Germany. In vitro curcumin release, In vitro cytocompatibility, In vitro cytoprotective, In vitro anti oxidant activity and In vitro anti inflammatory studies were performed to assess the viability and wound healing properties of the nanofibrous scaffold. Results and Discussion: SEM images of the PDLA+HPG mat revealed uniformly aligned, bead free fibers having diameter range from 200-250 nm with well inter connections (Figure 1). Significantly, curcumin loaded fibers with diameter ranging from 200-500 nm were observed (Figure 2). PDLA and PDLA-HPG blend fibers exhibited water contact angle of 90 and 55 respectively. Polymers blend displaying hydrophilic character owing to incorporation of more hydroxyl group containing HPG polymer (Figure 3). In vitro cytocompatibility of the nano fibers analyzed by MTT assay using 3T3 swiss fibroblast cells which indicating very good viability of the cells after 72 hours. Conclusion: In this work we fabricated the nanofibers scaffold of PDLA-HPG and curcumin loaded PDLA-HPG. SEM images shown uniformly aligned, well inter connected and bead free electrospun fibers obtained with higher curcumin loading capacity. Curcumin loaded nanofibers scaffold with cytoprotective and anti inflammatory qualities can have potential in wound dressing applications. IIT Madras - Facilities and funding