This research provides evidence for the potential use of cerium oxide-doped 58 S bioactive glass nanoparticles in wound dressings, highlighting their non-cytotoxicity, blood compatibility, suitable mechanical properties for skin tissue engineering, antibacterial activity, and therapeutic benefits.
Multifunctional polymer scaffolds with mechanical support, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial activity are key for next-generation biomedical materials. We report the fabrication of electrospun nanocomposite fibers made from polycaprolactone (PCL), starch, and mesoporous aluminum oxide nanoparticles (n-Al2O3). Nanoparticles (11 ± 4 nm) were synthesized via a sol-gel method, predominantly comprising γ- and α-Al2O3 phases. Four fiber systems were fabricated by side-by-side electrospinning: PCL, PCL/starch, PCL/n-Al2O3, and PCL/starch/n-Al2O3. SEM analysis confirmed uniform and bead-free fibers in all formulations. Tensile tests showed that the incorporation of starch and nanoparticles improved the mechanical performance compared with neat PCL. In particular, PCL/starch/n-Al2O3 fibers exhibited increases of 404% in Young’s modulus and 102% in elongation at break. In PBS, starch and n-Al2O3 enhanced hydrophilicity and accelerated weight loss, with PCL/starch/n-Al2O3 showing the highest mass loss. Antibacterial tests indicated that only fibers with nanoparticles could inhibit Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with PCL/starch/n-Al2O3 showing a major effect. Although n-Al2O3 increased cytotoxicity toward NIH-3T3, starch mitigated this effect, and the ternary scaffold showed no detectable cytotoxicity. Moreover, PCL/starch/n-Al2O3 exhibited non-hemolytic behavior, enhanced fibroblast migration, and wound-healing-related protein expression. Overall, side-by-side electrospun PCL/starch/n-Al2O3 scaffold exhibited showed improved mechanical, biological, and antibacterial properties, supporting its potential as a wound-dressing material.
Felipe Gutiérrez, D. Zárate-Triviño, Francisco A. Cataño et al.· International Journal of Mol...· 0 citations
This study developed coaxially electrospun polycaprolactone/polyvinyl alcohol (PCL/PVA) core-shell nanofibrous scaffolds incorporating green-synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from Synedrella nodiflora as candidate antibacterial wound-dressing materials. The core-shell design was evaluated against a conventional blended PCL/PVA/AgNP control at the same AgNP loading to assess architecture-dependent performance. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis supported the formation of a distinguishable PCL/PVA core-shell structure, while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed uniform, bead-free fibers, with diameter reduced from 332 nm to 310 nm after AgNP incorporation. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis supported the presence of hydroxyl-containing phytochemical residues or polar functional groups associated with the green-synthesized AgNPs. Moisture management properties improved, with Overall Moisture Management Capacity (OMMC) increasing from 0.16 to 0.74 and Accumulative One-Way Transport Index (AOTI) shifting from -28.6 to 310.2, indicating improved liquid transport under MMT conditions. Thermal stability also increased, with degradation temperature rising from 378 °C to 392 °C and residual weight from 5.2% to 6.3%. Mechanical strength decreased slightly with AgNP addition, while elongation remained relatively high, showing a trade-off between strength and flexibility. UV-Vis-based apparent silver-associated release profiling showed a slower release trend for coaxial PP-3% than blended Control-3%. PP-3% exhibited the highest preliminary antibacterial activity, with inhibition zones of 22 mm against E. coli and 17 mm against S. aureus. Vero cell viability remained above 90%, indicating preliminary cytocompatibility.
Amanullah, Mainul Islam, Md Mustafizur Rahman et al.· Journal of Biomaterials Scie...· 0 citations
3D scaffolds based on Chitosan/Collagen/Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)/Hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles are presented as a promising approach to studying the migration of the 3T3 cell line and demonstrate promising effects on fibroblast migration in an in vitro scratch-assay model using NIH 3T3 cells.
Laila Procel-Badillo, Sarah Briceño, Lenin Ramírez et al.· Polymers· 0 citations
Poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate (PVA/SA) hydrogels are promising tissue-contact biomaterials; however, the comparative effects of different reinforcing nanoparticles within the same polymer matrix remain insufficiently clarified. This study aimed to compare the structural and biological performance of PVA/SA hydrogel scaffolds reinforced with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs), hydroxyapatite (HAp), and graphene oxide nanosheets (GONs) under identical preparation conditions. PVA/SA-based hydrogels were prepared using freeze–thaw processing and evaluated by electron microscopy, EDXS, FT-IR, and Raman spectroscopy. Their swelling behavior, in vitro mass loss in PBS, antibacterial activity, L929 fibroblast cytocompatibility, hemolytic activity, and blood clotting index (BCI) were also examined. The maximum swelling ratios were 3.70 for PVA/SA, 2.46 for PVA/SA/ZnONPs, 3.39 for PVA/SA/HAp, and 3.20 for PVA/SA/GONs. After 28 days, mass loss reached 13.1% for PVA/SA, 15.9% for PVA/SA/ZnONPs, 10.5% for PVA/SA/HAp, and 10.1% for PVA/SA/GONs. The MTT assay showed acceptable cytocompatibility in all groups, with L929 cell viability of 91.74 ± 3.49% for PVA/SA, 84.35 ± 2.68% for PVA/SA/ZnONPs, 95.28 ± 2.28% for PVA/SA/HAp, and 78.55 ± 6.15% for PVA/SA/GONs after 48 h. ZnO produced the most pronounced antibacterial effect, although the activity was moderate in absolute terms, reducing S. aureus by 34.6% and K. pneumoniae by 18.5%, while other formulations showed only marginal reductions (≤7%). Hemolysis values were 3.4% for PVA/SA, 1.8% for PVA/SA/ZnONPs, 1.9% for PVA/SA/HAp, and 6.3% for PVA/SA/GONs. At 5 min, BCI values were 34.22%, 54.89%, 52.74%, and 8.7%, respectively. Overall, ZnONPs improved antibacterial activity, HAp provided the most favorable cytocompatibility and stability profile, while GONs showed a comparatively higher hemolytic response. These findings highlight the importance of nanoparticle selection in designing PVA/SA hydrogel scaffolds for tissue-contact applications.
N. Abuhamed, E. Dinçer, Kerim Emre Öksüz· ACS Omega· 0 citations
Abstract Modern wound dressings are used for burn injuries to prevent complications such as infection and to promote tissue regeneration. In this study, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), acrylamide (AAm), and silicone were simultaneously copolymerized in a dioxane solution via an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) method to produce nanoparticles (NPs). In the next step, to fabricate nanocomposite (NC) films for wound dressing applications, the IPN NPs were blended with silicone and zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs as an antibacterial agent. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the synthesized IPN NPs had an average size of approximately 17 nm. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis of the samples confirmed the presence of the characteristic functional groups of the NC films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the NC films had a homogeneous structure with well-dispersed NPs. Despite the high silicone content, the films exhibited an acceptable swelling ratio (up to 165%). Biological studies using L929 mouse fibroblast cells showed that the samples were biocompatible. In vivo wound-healing studies in a rat wound model specified improved healing compared with the control group, with complete re-epithelialization within 14 days. Histological analysis indicated neovascularization and tissue regeneration. Overall, the synthesized NC films show potential as wound dressings.
Atieh Karbalaei, Sana Sadraei-Majd, M. Khorasani et al.· Designed Monomers and Polyme...· 0 citations
The objective of this study was to fabricate and evaluate chitosan(CS)/polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) nanofibrous wound dressings incorporated with nisin and compare their performance with CS-PVA scaffolds. Nanofibers were produced via electrospinning under optimised conditions (18 kV voltage, 0.2 mL/h flow rate, and 120 mm tip-to-collector distance). Scanning electron microscopy revealed that incorporation of nisin increased the average fibre diameter from 114.5 nm to 125.8 nm, while porosity decreased from 89.13% to 86.21%. Antibacterial activity was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. CS-PVA scaffolds showed no inhibition, whereas CS-PVA-nisin exhibited significant antibacterial activity with inhibition zones of 34.5 mm for S. aureus and 25.4 mm for E. coli. FTIR confirmed the successful incorporation of nisin through characteristic peaks at 3330 cm-1 and 2918 cm-1. Addition of nisin did not significantly affect tensile strength (1.6 MPa for both samples), although tensile strain decreased from 8% to 5.1% and Young's modulus increased from 20 MPa to 31.37 MPa. Contact angle measurements increased from 49° to 59°, indicating reduced hydrophilicity. MTT assay results demonstrated high cell viability for both scaffolds (95.2% for CS-PVA and 94.7% for CS-PVA-nisin), confirming their non-cytotoxic nature Overall, CS-PVA-nisin nanofibers exhibited enhanced antibacterial performance while maintaining suitable mechanical properties and biocompatibility.
Sepideh Ebrahimpoor, Azadeh Asefnejad, Mohsen Mohammadi· Journal of Medical Engineeri...· 0 citations