Curcumin Functionalized Electrospun Fibers with Efficient pH Real-Time Monitoring and Antibacterial and Anti-inflammatory Properties

Abstract

Wound infection has threatened the health of humans, and developing novel dressings by integrating infection detection and wound treatment in biomaterials is urgently required in the medical industry. In this study, we report a facile strategy to develop curcumin functionalized poly(ε-caprolactone) and gelatin composite fibrous membranes with pH real-time monitoring and antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The developed curcumin-functionalized composite fibers displayed highly sensitive and visible response to the variation of the pH value of a buffer solution in the range of 5.6–8.6. In addition, the resultant fibrous membrane showed obviously enhanced antibacterial efficiency against both E. coli and S. aureus and no obvious cytotoxicity to human dermal fibroblasts when the curcumin content was less than 5 wt %. More importantly, 3 wt % curcumin-functionalized composite membrane exhibited excellent anti-inflammatory activities, good antioxidant activity of ca. 82%, and significantly decreased expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α and IL-6 in vitro (p < 0.001). Furthermore, subcutaneous embedding experiments showed that the 3 wt % curcumin-functionalized membrane significantly promoted cell penetration, recruited less macrophages, and facilitated collage deposition. Therefore, the curcumin-functionalized composite fibers could be employed to fabricate multifunctional dressings for the future treatment of chronic wounds.

Biomimetic Antibacterial Gelatin Hydrogels with Multifunctional Properties for Biomedical Applications

“…It is worth noting that the levels of the antibacterial efficiency reached through the newly developed hydrogels are extremely high. Similar but not matched antibacterial performance have been reached in very few studies, − see Figure .…”

Hydrogel‐Based Biosensors for Bacterial Infections

“…Colorimetric pH sensors usually use natural or synthetic pH indicators as the sensing elements and integrate them into proton-permeable hydrogel films or optical fiber matrices, either through simple physical absorption or chemical interactions. Natural dyes such as anthocyanin, [27] alizarins, [28] litmus, [29] and curcumin [30] are non-toxic and biocompatible, while synthetic dyes such as rosic acid (RA) [31] and phenol red (PR) [4] are more stable and reproducible. Most of them can undergo a noticeable color change over a wide pH range, making them good candidates for the detection of bacterial infections.…”

Molecular Antioxidants Maintain Synergistic Radical Scavenging Activity upon Co-Immobilization on Clay Nanoplatelets

“…However, disruption of this balance causes oxidative stress, which can be responsible for many serious diseases (e.g., chronic inflammation or cancer). − Antioxidants can delay or inhibit the negative consequences of increased levels of ROS by reducing them, forming metal chelates, or by interrupting free radical chain reactions . In addition to biomedical uses, − there has been a great interest in the application of natural antioxidants in various industrial fields. It is a constant goal to find a solution to extend the shelf life of food products using antioxidants as preservatives or by designing food packaging materials of ROS scavenging activity. − Antioxidants are also important ingredients of the modern cosmetic products, in which they are applied as anti-inflammatory or antimicrobial agents. , Furthermore, they are useful as polymer additives to prevent degradation or to endow the polymer matrix with antioxidant features. , …”