Fabrication and evaluation of shellac/polyvinylpyrrolidone nanofibers loaded with monolaurin as wound dressing mats using factorial designs

Abstract

Due to their ultrafine network structures, electrospun nanofibers have been potentially used for wound dressing application as they could provide a rapid wound epithelialization, an enhanced oxygen and nutrients delivery to cells, an improved drug loading capacity and release rate. In order to develop a desired wound dressing material, shellac (SHL), a natural biopolymer with excellent film forming and protective properties, was blended with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), a water-soluble synthetic polymer with good mechanical characteristic, for using as a polymeric carrier. Monolaurin (ML), which is a natural antimicrobial lipid, was incorporated into the SHL/PVP blended nanofibers to prevent the incidence of delayed wound healing resulting from microbial infection. In this study, a full factorial design with three replicated centre points was employed in order to determine the main and interaction effects of various factors including SHL ratio in SHL-PVP blended solution, ML content and applied voltage on the multiple responses such as morphology, surface wettability, absorbency and mechanical properties. According to the results, an increase in the PVP content could lead to a significant increase in the mechanical behavior resulting in the appearance of beadless fibres. In addition, the presence of PVP might contribute to an improvement in the drug loading capacity and dissolution rate. However, the wettability and absorbency of the fibres might be retarded by the hygroscopic nature and rapid erosion of PVP. The fabricated nanofibers loaded with ML exhibited an excellent activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, and also provided an enhanced ability in the cell adhesion. Therefore, SHL/PVP blended nanofibers loaded with ML might be effectively used for application in wound healing.

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