Electrospun Polyvinyl Alcohol Loaded with Phytotherapeutic Agents for Wound Healing Applications.

Diana Serbezeanu,Magdalena Aflori,Alexandra Bargan,Mihaela Homocianu,Alexandru Alin Enache,Tăchiță Vlad-Bubulac,Cristina Mihaela Rîmbu

doi:10.3390/nano11123336

Abstract

In this paper, hydroalcoholic solutions of Thymus vulgaris, Salvia officinalis folium, and Hyperici herba were used in combination with poly (vinyl alcohol) with the aim of developing novel poly (vinyl alcohol)-based nanofiber mats loaded with phytotherapeutic agents via the electrospinning technique. The chemical structure and morphology of the polymeric nanofibers were investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The addition of Thymus vulgaris, Salvia officinalis folium, and Hyperici herba extracts to the pure polyvinyl alcohol fibers led to changes in the morphology of the fibers and a reduction in the fibers’ diameter, from 0.1798 µm in the case of pure polyvinyl alcohol to 0.1672, 0.1425, and 0.1369 µm in the case of polyvinyl alcohol loaded with Thymus vulgaris, Salvia officinalis folium, and Hyperici herba, respectively. The adapted Folin–Ciocalteu (FC) method, which was used to determine the total phenolic contents, revealed that the samples of PVA–Hyperici herba and PVA–Thymus vulgaris had the highest phenol contents, at 13.25 μgGAE/mL and 12.66 μgGAE/mL, respectively. Dynamic water vapor measurements were used in order to investigate the moisture sorption and desorption behavior of the developed electrospun materials. The antimicrobial behavior of these products was also evaluated. Disk diffusion assay studies with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were conducted on the developed nanofibers in order to quantify their phytotherapeutic potential.

Highlights

Polymer nanofibers have enormous potential in areas such as wound healing [1,2,3], antibacterial dressings [4], biosensor devices [5,6], optoelectronics [7,8], and drug delivery systems [9,10]
It has been pointed out that the structural arrangement of the nanofibers obtained by the electrospinning process has been responsible for some morphological similarities that mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the electrospun membranes [12]
We present the development of the Thymus vulgaris, Salvia officinalis folium– and Hyperici herba–polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) electrospun scaffolds using the electrospinning method

Summary

Introduction

Polymer nanofibers have enormous potential in areas such as wound healing [1,2,3], antibacterial dressings [4], biosensor devices [5,6], optoelectronics [7,8], and drug delivery systems [9,10]. Nanofibers based on various polymers have attracted attention for application in the above-mentioned fields as a result of their remarkable properties, such as adjustable fiber diameter and porosity, tunable morphology, and the encapsulation capacity of the electrospun membrane. The electrospinning technique is considered to be an easy and efficient procedure to obtain nano/microfiber membranes [11]. It has been pointed out that the structural arrangement of the nanofibers obtained by the electrospinning process has been responsible for some morphological similarities that mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the electrospun membranes [12]. In addition to the mentioned tunable properties, it has been established in some studies that such nanofiber membranes could be helpful

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Conclusion