This study attempts to fabricate the antibacterial nanofibrous mats composed of cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers loaded with erythromycin-chitosan nanoparticles (Ery-CS NPs) intended for infected wound dressing. The Ery-loaded CS NPs were prepared by ionic gelation process and then incorporated into the CA electrospun nanofibers (NFs). The characterization of the NPs and mats were investigated by using dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) to show the size distribution, morphology and surface chemistry along with other physiochemical properties including hydrophilicity property, porosity, and water absorption capacity. The antimicrobial activity and cell viability of fibroblast cells were also evaluated. The results indicated that Ery was loaded into CS NPs with high encapsulation efficiency (95%). The CA NFs (17%) incorporated with the Ery-CS NPs (12 wt%) displayed smooth homogenous morphology with 141.7 ± 91.7 nm average diameter. The relevant analyses revealed that the NPs incorporated in NFs and provided high water holding capacity with high porosity. Finally, Ery-CS NPs/CA mats were able to inhibit the growth of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as showed no cytotoxic effect on the human dermal fibroblast cells. Overall, our findings concluded that the proposed system could be potentially applied as the proper antibacterial mats for infected wound dressing applications.
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