In recent years,
medicinal plant extracts have received remarkable
attention due to their wound-healing properties. In this study, polycaprolactone
(PCL) electrospun nanofiber membranes incorporated with different
concentrations of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) were prepared. The
results of the SEM and FTIR experiments demonstrated that the morphology
of nanofiber is smooth, fine, and bead-free, and the PPE was well
introduced into the nanofiber membranes. Moreover, the outcomes of
the mechanical property tests demonstrated that the nanofiber membrane
made of PCL and loaded with PPE exhibited remarkable mechanical characteristics,
indicating that it could fulfill the essential mechanical requisites
for wound dressings. The findings of the in vitro drug release investigations
indicated that PPE was instantly released within 20 h and subsequently
released gradually over an extended period by the composite nanofiber
membranes. Meanwhile, the DPPH radical scavenging test confirmed that
the nanofiber membranes loaded with PPE exhibited significant antioxidant
properties. Antimicrobial experiments showed higher PPE loading, and
the nanofiber membranes showed higher antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia
coli
, and Candida
albicans. The results of the cellular experiments
showed that the composite nanofiber membranes were nontoxic and promoted
the proliferation of L929 cells. In summary, electrospun nanofiber
membranes loaded with PPE can be used as a wound dressing.