Multilayer Alginate–Polycaprolactone Electrospun Membranes as Skin Wound Patches with Drug Delivery Abilities

Abstract

A multilayer nanofibrous membrane consisting of a layer of polycaprolactone and one of physically cross-linked alginate-embedding ZnO nanoparticles is prepared via electrospinning technique as potential wound healing patches with drug delivery capabilities. A washing–cross-linking protocol is developed to obtain stable materials at the same time removing poly(ethylene oxide), which was used here as a cospinning agent for alginate, without interfering with the membrane’s peculiar nanofibrous structure. The mechanical behavior of the samples is assessed via a uniaxial tensile test showing appropriate resistance and manageability together with a good thermal stability as proved via thermogravimetric analysis. The polycaprolactone external layer enriches the samples with good liquid-repellent properties, whereas the alginate layer is able to promote tissue regeneration owing to its capability to promote cell viability and allow exudate removal and gas exchanges. Moreover, using methylene blue and methyl orange as model molecules, promising drug delivery abilities are observed for the mats. Indeed, depending on the nature and on the dye-loading concentration, the release kinetic can be easily tuned to obtain a slow controlled or a fast burst release. Consequently, the proposed alginate–polycaprolactone membrane represents a promising class of innovative, simple, and cost-effective wound healing patches appropriate for large-scale production.

Investigation of the Mechanical and Dynamic-Mechanical Properties of Electrospun Polyvinylpyrrolidone Membranes: A Design of Experiment Approach

“…Due to the great versatility and the high production rate compared to other fibre-forming technique [5], electrospinning has gained increasing interest from both the academic and industrial points of view, with a great range of possible applications and, indeed, several patents have been already registered [6][7][8]. For example, several electrospun membranes based on both synthetic and natural polymers were prepared for biomedical [9][10][11][12][13][14][15], environmental [16][17][18], air filtration [19][20][21], energy storage [22,23], sensing [24,25], and textile purposes [26,27], thus showing the huge future potentialities of this technique. The typical electrospinning set-up leads to randomly oriented nano-or microfibers exhibiting isotropic mechanical properties which usually show a lesser performance compared to other types of polymeric products (e.g., films, hydrogels, etc.)…”

An Up‐to‐Date Review on Alginate Nanoparticles and Nanofibers for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications

“…Furthermore, Alg-NFs containing ZnO-NPs were coupled with a PCL electrospun scaffold in order to obtain a multilayered structure able to provide both the ideal environment to foster cell viability and protective action against the external environment. [261] Along with the traditional electrospinning solution methodology, other approaches have been reported for fabricating alginate-based biomedical products. [228,262] By way of example, coaxial electrospinning was employed to fabricate core-shell alginate-PEO NFs able to promote fibroblasts cells attachment and proliferation.…”

Electrospun Scaffold of Collagen and Polycaprolactone Containing ZnO Quantum Dots for Skin Wound Regeneration

“…The highly porous three-dimensional (3D) structure of electrospun fibrous scaffolds can facilitate the exchange of cellular nutrients and create an ideal cellular micro-environment for wound healing [ 7 – 9 ]. Therefore, electrospun fibrous scaffolds have remarkable potential in both ECM-biomimetic structures and the ability to adsorb bioactive factors, and have thus emerged as essential applications in the field of skin wound repair [ 5 , 10 ].…”