Metal-ion Co-doped nanofilm with anti-bacterial and pro-angiogenic activities to accelerate infected wound healing

Abstract

The ability of nanofilms to mimic the natural fiber architecture and form a physical structure that is best suited for skin tissue regeneration makes it an appealing vehicle for skin tissue engineering. However, developing a facile nanofilm with both anti-bacterial and pro-angiogenic activities is yet to be addressed. Herein, two metal ions, including copper (Cu) and silicon (Si), were loaded into Wharton's jelly/polycaprolactone (WJ/PCL) system to prepare a Cu/Si@WJ/PCL nanofilm. These metal ions could impart both anti-bacterial and pro-angiogenic properties to the nanofilms, which could improve their ability in promoting wound healing. The Cu and Si ions were released continuously from the Cu/Si@WJ/PCL nanofilm, which had a nanofibrous structure and random organization. Results derived from the in vitro experiment revealed that the incubated fibroblasts could successfully survive and proliferate under lab conditions, suggesting that the Cu/Si@WJ/PCL nanofilm was cytocompatible. Additionally, the Cu ions released from the nanofilm exhibited effective antibacterial activities against both the gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and they acted in conjunction with the released Si ions for improving the tube formation in the human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Additionally, compared to pure WJ/PCL nanofilm and Cu or Si ion-loaded nanofilm, the Cu/Si@WJ/PCL nanofilm significantly accelerated the infected wound healing process in the rat model. The Cu/Si@WJ/PCL nanofilm showed improved epidermal development, vascularization, and collagen deposition compared to the other nanofilms. In this study, a Cu/Si@WJ/PCL nanofilm with pro-angiogenic and anti-bacterial activities was successfully developed, and it could be used as a metal-ion-based therapeutic medium for the treatment of infected wound healing.