Development and characterization of collagen-based electrospun scaffolds containing silver sulphadiazine and Aspalathus linearis extract for potential wound healing applications

Abstract

Bone, skin and soft tissue chronic wounds emanating from burns or bacterial infections which persist due to prolonged tissue inflammation contribute to a delay in wound healing. Electrospun biomimetic scaffolds produced from biodegradable polymers have proven to be a better alternative due to their large surface area to volume ratio and ability to release the drug directly to the wound surface allowing fast and sustained absorbance over the affected wound area. In this study, poly lactic acid (PLA) (20% w/v) and collagen-based (PLA/C) fibrous scaffolds (electrospun at a voltage of 22 kV, flow rate of 0.1 mL/min) containing varying concentrations of silver sulphadiazine (1% w/w, 0.75% w/w) (Ag + S) and Aspalathus linearis (AL) fermented extract (0.025%, 0.1% and 0.5% w/w), were designed and fabricated to increase antimicrobial penetration and cellular biocompatibility. The elastic modulus of samples revealed that incorporating 1% Ag + S and A. linearis extract to PLA solution culminates in a fiber with the superlative stiffness of 2.1.1 GPa. The antimicrobial effect of the scaffolds was evaluated against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, MRSA and E. coli. PLA/C-Ag + S/AL scaffolds and showed antibacterial activity against both gram +ve and gram −ve bacteria. They were nontoxic to the cells and provided favorable substrates for the neonatal epidermal keratinocytes cells to undergo cell attachment and proliferation. PLA/C-Ag + S/AL scaffolds have a great potential for use in chronic wounds as well as in tissue and bioengineering applications.

Bio-Based Electrospun Fibers for Wound Healing

“…The in vivo assay also confirmed that the PLA and PLA/PVA/SA electrospun membranes significantly enhanced wound healing compared to commercially available gauzes [26]. Ilomuanya et al, designed PLA and collagen-PLA electrospun fibrous scaffolds with antibacterial activity for wound healing applications [12]. They used silver sulphadiazine (Ag+S) and Aspalathus linearis (AL) fermented extract to improve antibacterial properties and cellular biocompatibility.…”

“…The electrospinning method promotes the modulation of the physical and mechanical properties of fibers through tuning the corresponding variables. These superior aspects are the main factors to attend to in designing advanced wound dressings that can mimic the native tissue environment and enhance healing of the wound [3,12,28,50].…”

“…Inexpensive and readily available conventional wound dressings such as gauze and bandages can basically protect the wound from external agents, but they create a dry environment locally, which can lead to complications, such as subsequent infections [2,10]. In recent years, considerable advances have been achieved in designing modern dressings to protect the wound from dehydration and infection, and facilitate the healing process instead of just covering the wound [3,11,12]. Wound dressings in the form of hydrogels [13][14][15], hydrocolloids [16][17][18], sponges [19][20][21][22], alginates [23][24][25], and transparent films [11] have been developed and some of them are commercially available.…”

“…Nanofibrous scaffolds with appropriate mechanical properties could be proper substrates for cell proliferation. Besides, the incorporation of therapeutic and pharmaceutical agents is used to functionalize electrospun dressings for efficiently targeting different wound types [12,27,[31][32][33][34].…”

Safety evaluation of different variants of a topically applied toilet bar soap range using skin irritancy testing methods in the Nigerian population

“…Soap Skin irritancy Skin sebum content Trans-epidermal water loss Safety evaluation called lichen simplex chronicus or neurodermatitis. This presents initially with erythema (redness), excoriations, darkening of the affected portion, and consequently leathery (thickening) of the skin from prolonged itching [11,[13][14].…”