Electrospinning of Poly(Caprolactone)/Gelatin/Clindamycin Nanocomposites as an Antibacterial Wound Dressing

Abstract

These days, nanofibers are used in the medical sector, such as drug delivery and wound dressing structures, because of their excellent characteristics, high permeability, and important surface area. Natural and synthetic polymers may be electrospun in the form of a blend. Besides, the antibiotics such as linezolid, enrofloxacin, and vancomycin are used in wound dressing due to their antibacterial properties. In this research, the blend nanofibrous structures made of PCL and gelatin (Gel) with a 25:75 ratio were produced for wound dressing applications. Clindamycin HCL as a drug was added to Gel and PCL polymeric solutions. Surface morphology, functional groups, and hydrophilicity of nanofibers were examined using SEM, FT-IR spectroscopy, and contact angle measurement, respectively. In addition, the antibacterial properties of nanofibers were evaluated quantitatively. The drug release mechanism of samples was investigated which the best-fitted model was recognized Korsmeyer-Peppas model. SEM images of scaffolds demonstrated uniform and bead-free morphology that, with incorporating the 6% of the drug, the diameters of mats were decreased from 398 nm to 303 nm. Moreover, the samples showed proper hydrophilicity and antibacterial properties against a gram-positive (89%) and a gram-negative (98%) bacterium. Finally, the nanofibers are capable of releasing the clindamycin gradually for 6 days.