Electrospun Nanofibers for Wound Management

Biopolymeric Scaffolds with Melatonin for Tissue Engineering-A Review

Melatonin, a natural hormone with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative properties, has gained increasing attention in tissue engineering for its ability to enhance the therapeutic potential of biopolymeric scaffolds. These scaffolds, designed to mimic the extracellular matrix, provide structural support and a bioactive environment for tissue regeneration. By integrating melatonin, researchers aim to create multifunctional scaffolds that promote cell proliferation, modulate inflammatory responses, and improve wound healing outcomes. Challenges in utilizing melatonin include maintaining its stability under light, heat, and oxygen exposure, and optimizing its release profile for sustained therapeutic effects. Innovative fabrication methods, such as electrospinning, 3D printing, and lyophilization, have enabled precise control over scaffold architecture and melatonin delivery. These techniques ensure enhanced interactions with target tissues and tailored regeneration processes. Combining melatonin with growth factors, cytokines, and antimicrobial agents offers the potential for multifunctional applications, from chronic wound management to bone and nerve regeneration. Continued research in this field promises transformative solutions in regenerative medicine, expanding the clinical applicability of melatonin-enriched scaffolds. This review highlights the current progress, challenges, and opportunities associated with harnessing melatonin's therapeutic potential within tissue engineering frameworks.

Phytotherapeutic Hierarchical PCL-Based Scaffolds as a Multifunctional Wound Dressing: Combining 3D Printing and Electrospinning

This study focuses on developing hybrid scaffolds incorporating phytotherapeutic agents via a combination of three-dimensional (3D) printing and electrospinning to enhance mechanical properties and provide antibacterial activity, in order to address the limitations of traditional antibiotics. In this regard, 3D-printed polycaprolactone (PCL) struts are first fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM). Then, alkaline surface treatment is applied to improve the adhesion of electrospun nanofibers. Finally, peppermint oil (PEP) or clove oil (CLV)-incorporated PCL-gelatin (GEL) electrospun nanofibers are collected on top of the 3D-printed PCL scaffolds by electrospinning. Incorporating PEP or CLV into PCL-GEL electrospun nanofibers enhances the scaffold's layer detachment and adhesion force. In addition, the DPPH free radical scavenging activity assay indicates that incorporating PEP or CLV improves the antioxidant properties of the scaffolds. Further, antibacterial activity results reveal that PEP or CLV incorporated scaffolds exhibit inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria. Moreover, anti-inflammatory assays show that scaffolds reduce the concentration of nitric oxide (NO) released from Raw 264.7 macrophage-like cells. On the other hand, the phytotherapeutic hierarchical scaffolds have no toxic effect on normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF) cells, and PEP or CLV enhance cell attachment and proliferation. Overall, incorporating natural phytotherapeutic agents into hierarchical scaffolds shows promise for advancing wound healing applications.

Assessing polylactic acid nanofibers with cellulose and chitosan nanocapsules loaded with chamomile extract for treating gram-negative infections

This study presents the development and characterization of a novel nanocomposite wound dressing material based on polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibers incorporating chitosan nanocapsules loaded with chamomile extract and cellulose nanoparticles. The nanofibers were fabricated using a three-step synthesis and electrospinning techniques, resulting in uniform, bead-free fibers with an average diameter of 186 ± 56 nm. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the successful incorporation of all components, while tensile strength tests demonstrated improved mechanical properties by adding nanoparticles. Water contact angle measurements revealed enhanced surface wettability of the PLA-Cellulose-Chitosan complex compared to pure PLA nanofibers. In vitro biocompatibility assessments using MTT assays showed excellent cell viability and proliferation, with the optimized composite exhibiting the best performance. Scanning electron microscopy imaging confirmed robust cell adhesion and interaction with the nanofibers. The nanocomposite demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, with a 20 mm inhibition zone observed for chamomile extract-loaded samples. Additionally, the material showed superior hemostatic ability compared to commercial gauze and high hemocompatibility. These comprehensive results indicate that the developed nanocomposite is a promising candidate for advanced wound management applications, offering a multifunctional approach to wound healing by combining antimicrobial activity, cell compatibility, and hemostatic properties.

A cutting-edge new framework for the pain management in children: nanotechnology

Pain is a subjective concept which is ever-present in the medical field. Health professionals are confronted with a variety of pain types and sources, as well as the challenge of managing a patient with acute or chronic suffering. An even bigger challenge is presented in the pediatric population, which often cannot quantify pain in a numerical scale like adults. Infants and small children especially show their discomfort through behavioral and physiological indicators, leaving the health provider with the task of rating the pain. Depending on the pathophysiology of it, pain can be classified as neuropathic or nociceptive, with the first being defined by an irregular signal processing in the nervous system and the second appearing in cases of direct tissue damage or prolonged contact with a certain stimulant. The approach is generally either pharmacological or non-pharmacological and it can vary from using NSAIDs, local anesthetics, opiates to physical and psychological routes. Unfortunately, some pathologies involve either intense or chronic pain that cannot be managed with traditional methods. Recent studies have involved nanoparticles with special characteristics such as small dimension and large surface area that can facilitate carrying treatments to tissues and even offer intrinsic analgesic properties. Pediatrics has benefited significantly from the application of nanotechnology, which has enabled the development of novel strategies for drug delivery, disease diagnosis, and tissue engineering. This narrative review aims to evaluate the role of nanotechnology in current pain therapy, with emphasis on pain in children.

Electrospun Cerium Oxide Nanoparticle/Aloe Vera Extract-Loaded Nanofibrous Poly(Ethylene Oxide)/Polyurethane Mats As Diabetic Wound Dressings

Currently the prevalence of diabetic wounds brings a huge encumbrance onto patients, causing high disability and mortality rates and a major medical challenge for society. Therefore, in this study, we are targeting to fabricate aloe vera extract infused biocompatible nanofibrous patches to facilitate the process of diabetic wound healing. Additionally, clindamycin has been adsorbed onto the surface of in-house synthesized ceria nanoparticles and again used separately to design a nanofibrous web, as nanoceria can act as a good drug delivery vehicle and exhibit both antimicrobial and antidiabetic properties. Various physicochemical characteristics such as morphology, porosity, and chemical composition of the produced nanofibrous webs were investigated. Bacterial growth inhibition and antibiofilm studies of the nanofibrous materials confirm its antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. An in vitro drug release study confirmed that the nanofibrous mat show a sustained drug release pattern (90% of drug in 96 h). The nanofibrous web containing drug loaded nanoceria not only showed superior in vitro performance but also promoted greater wound contraction (95 ± 2%) in diabetes-induced mice in just 7 days. Consequently, it efficaciously lowers the serum glucose level, inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, and hepatotoxicity markers as endorsed by various ex vivo tests. Conclusively, this in-house-fabricated biocompatible nanofibrous patch can act as a potential medicated suppository that can be used for treating diabetic wounds in the proximate future.

Plasma Surface Treatment and Application of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Polylactic Acid Electrospun Fibrous Hemostatic Membrane

In this study, an improved PVA/PLA fibrous hemostatic membrane was prepared by electrospinning technology combined with air plasma modification. The plasma treatment was used to modify PLA to enhance the interlayer bonding between the PVA and PLA fibrous membranes first, then modify the PVA to improve the hemostatic capacity. The surfaces of the PLA and PVA were oxidized after air plasma treatment, the fibrous diameter was reduced, and roughness was increased. Plasma treatment enhanced the interfacial bond strength of PLA/PVA composite fibrous membrane, and PLA acted as a good mechanical support. Plasma-treated PVA/PLA composite membranes showed an increasing liquid-enrichment capacity of 350% and shortened the coagulation time to 258 s. The hemostatic model of the liver showed that the hemostatic ability of plasma-treated PVA/PLA composite membranes was enhanced by 79% compared to untreated PVA membranes, with a slight improvement over commercially available collagen. The results showed that the plasma-treated PVA/PLA fibers were able to achieve more effective hemostasis, which provides a new strategy for improving the hemostatic performance of hemostatic materials.

Automatic in situ short-distance deposition of PLGA/PLLA composite nanofibrous membranes for personalized wound dressings

Improving the mechanical properties of wound dressings and achieving personalized automatic real-time in situ deposition are important for accelerating wound management and repair. In this study, we report a self-designed automatic in situ deposition device based on solution blow spinning (SBS) to prepare poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) composite (PLGA/PLLA) nanofibrous membranes for wound dressing at a short distance. Polymer solution and in situ deposition conditions, including air pressure, spinning distance, solvent extrusion rate, and spinning rate, were optimized using orthogonal experiments and characterized via dynamic mechanical analysis. The microscopic morphology and physical properties of the prepared PLGA/PLLA composite nanofibrous membranes show that their strength, adhesion, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), water retention, water absorption, degradation, and other properties were sufficient for wound-dressing applications. To investigate the possibility of a biomedical wound-dressing material, tannic acid (TA) was incorporated into the PLGA/PLLA composite nanofibrous membranes. The resultant PLGA/PLLA/TA composite nanofibrous membranes exhibited good biocompatibility and exceptional antibacterial properties against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. A pilot animal study illustrated the potential of this in situ deposition of PLGA/PLLA/TA composite nanofibrous membranes across multiple applications in wound healing/repair by reducing wound scar tissue formation and fibroblast overactivation.

Electrospun Nanofiber Membranes with Various Structures for Wound Dressing

Electrospun nanofiber membranes (NFMs) have high porosity and a large specific surface area, which provide a suitable environment for the complex and dynamic wound healing process and a large number of sites for carrying wound healing factors. Further, the design of the nanofiber structure can imitate the structure of the human dermis, similar to the natural extracellular matrix, which better promotes the hemostasis, anti-inflammatory and healing of wounds. Therefore, it has been widely studied in the field of wound dressing. This review article overviews the development of electrospinning technology and the application of electrospun nanofibers in wound dressings. It begins with an introduction to the history, working principles, and transformation of electrospinning, with a focus on the selection of electrospun nanofiber materials, incorporation of functional therapeutic factors, and structural design of nanofibers and nanofiber membranes. Moreover, the wide application of electrospun NFMs containing therapeutic factors in wound healing is classified based on their special functions, such as hemostasis, antibacterial and cell proliferation promotion. This article also highlights the structural design of electrospun nanofibers in wound dressing, including porous structures, bead structures, core-shell structures, ordered structures, and multilayer nanofiber membrane structures. Finally, their advantages and limitations are discussed, and the challenges faced in their application for wound dressings are analyzed to promote further research in this field.