Fabrication of chitosan/polycaprolactone/Myrtus communis L. extract nanofibrous mats with enhanced antibacterial activities

Abstract

Development of novel antimicrobial phytochemical-bearing nanofibrous mats could be considered as a promising strategy to overcome against antibiotic resistance in wound healing. In this work, the electrospinning process was used to successfully create novel antimicrobial nanofiber mats made of a blend of electrospun chitosan/polycaprolactone (CS/PCL) loaded with M. communis leaf extract (MCLE) (15 and 30 wt.%). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, water contact angle (WCA) testing, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and mechanical properties testing were applied to evaluate physicochemical properties of the nanofiber mats. The FESEM images showed uniform, bead-free, and smooth nanofiber mats with good compatibility between MCLE and polymers. Image J software was used to calculate the average diameters of nanofibrous mats, and the average diameter increased significantly as the extract concentration increased. The existence of MCLE in the nanofibrous mats was verified by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and XRD analysis. The tensile strength of the nanofiber mats was satisfactory (6.31–12.47 MPa). The incorporation of MCLE in CS/PCL nanofibers enhanced the scaffold’s hydrophilicity, as evidenced by a reduction in contact angle. Significant reduction up to 0.5 log of both Escherichia ( E.) coli and Staphylococcus aureus count was observed upon exposure to CS/PCL nanofibers. The MCLE (15 and 30 wt.%)-incorporated CS/PCL nanofibers demonstrated a significant reduction of bacterial count up to 0.8 log for both bacteria. The results demonstrated that manufactured nanofibers could be considered as a promising dressing in wound dressing.