Potential antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy of essential oil nanoemulsion loaded polycaprolactone nanofibrous dermal patches

Abstract

Formulating nanofibers loaded with active compounds for biomedical purposes has recently drawn great attention. In this work, polycaprolactone (PCL) was blended with peppermint oil (PO) nanoemulsion to fabricate an antimicrobial nanofiber scaffold via electrospinning technique. The electrospinning solutions of PCL were loaded with different concentrations ofPO nanoemulsion (PCL-1, PCL-2, PCL-3, and PCL-4). The findings illustrated that; PO emulsion droplets were in the nano-range (150–200 nm) which promoted their inclusion inside the fibers. Further, there was no significant difference between the unloaded and loaded PCL nanofibers in terms of surface morphology and mechanical properties. The PO-loaded PCL electrospun composites exhibited powerful antibacterial and antifungal activities. PCL-4 for instance showed four times greater antimicrobial activity than PO nanoemulsion. The physiological kinetic experiment showed that PCL-4 had nearly prohibited all tested microbes from the start of the experiment with extensive damage to their cell membranes whereas PO nanoemulsion showed only 50 % prohibition. To conclude, the powerful antimicrobial activity of the prepared PO nanoemulsion loaded PCL nanofiber could be implemented as dermal patches against acne and skin disorders caused by planktonic and biofilm cells. To conclude, the nanofibers of PCL loaded with PO nanoemulsion is considered a forceful antimicrobial mats and brings advantageous in preparing dermal patches for acne treatment or skin disorders. Hence, PCL-4 could be successfully applied to prohibit the growth of human pathogens in planktonic and biofilm states that cause skin diseases.