Silver Nanoparticle-Coated Polyhydroxyalkanoate Based Electrospun Fibers for Wound Dressing Applications

Abstract

Wound dressings are high performance and high value products which can improve the regeneration of damaged skin. In these products, bioresorption and biocompatibility play a key role. The aim of this study is to provide progress in this area via nanofabrication and antimicrobial natural materials. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a bio-based family of polymers that possess high biocompatibility and skin regenerative properties. In this study, a blend of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB)) and poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate-co-3-hydroxy decanoate) (P(3HO-co-3HD)) was electrospun into P(3HB))/P(3HO-co-3HD) nanofibers to obtain materials with a high surface area and good handling performance. The nanofibers were then modified with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) via the dip-coating method. The silver-containing nanofiber meshes showed good cytocompatibility and interesting immunomodulatory properties in vitro, together with the capability of stimulating the human beta defensin 2 and cytokeratin expression in human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells), which makes them promising materials for wound dressing applications.

Microbially Synthesized Polymer-Metal Nanoparticles Composites as Promising Wound Dressings to Overcome Methicillin-Resistance Staphylococcus aureus Infections

“…PHA containing repeat units with longer side chains, such as PHO and copolymers, usually have lower crystallinities and can even be fully amorphous [ 37 ]. Moreover, PHO has been stated as a promising material because it is biocompatible, non-toxic, thermoplastic, and/or elastomeric, which are appealing properties for consumer and specialized applications [ 17 , 38 ].…”

“…Several studies have shown that a wide variety of bacteria possess the ability to use biomass as a reducing agent, in particular species of the genera Lactobacillus and Bacillus , some strains of Escherichia coli, and Alcaligenes eutrophus , previously known as Cupriavidus necator [ 15 , 16 ]. Biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles (Bio-AgNPs) have been successfully incorporated into synthetic polymers commonly used in biomedicine, such as polycaprolactone (PCL) [ 8 ], and more recently into bio-based polymers from the family of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ], opening a new field of synthesis of antimicrobial wound dressings.…”

Advances in Nanostructures for Antimicrobial Therapy

“…The surface charge and surface wettability and can be considerably enhanced by incorporation of antimicrobial agents such as metal/metal oxide NPs, carbon nanomaterials, AMPs or natural plant or herbal extracts. The functionalization of electrospun nanofibers with antimicrobial agents can be utilized to fight bacterial infections and resistance and is a promising strategy to combat bacterial infection and resistance [ 188 , 189 , 190 , 191 ]. The ethylcellulose/gum tragacanth (85:15) electrospun nanofibrous mats with incorporated honey (5–20 wt%) were evaluated as an effective wound covering biomaterials characterized with antibacterial properties, improved antioxidant activity, good mechanical properties and degradation ability features, and showed proper cell growth, attachment, and proliferation against NIH-3 T3 fibroblast cells [ 192 ].…”

Special Features of Polyester-Based Materials for Medical Applications

“…Wound dressings with adequate air permeability, water sorption, and good resistance against microbial organisms were also obtained by dip-coating of polyester/viscose samples in the presence of biogenic silver nano sol (AgNS) prepared using manuka honey [ 169 ]. In another study, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB))/poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate-co-3-hydroxy decanoate) (P(3HO-co-3HD)) nanofibers were prepared via electrospinning, then an aqueous colloidal silver solution of 4000 ppm was used for dip-coating of nanofibrous scaffolds with dimensions of 30 mm × 60 mm at a rate of 170 mm/min to obtain antimicrobial wound dressings [ 170 ].…”