Electrospun gelatin/PCL nanofibers incorporating curcumin loaded hydroxyapatite: a dual function antibacterial wound dressing for controlled drug release and accelerated skin repair

Abstract In the present study, electrospinning was used to create a new wound dressing consisting of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, in which curcumin was encapsulated and prepared as a nanocomposite in gelatin and polycaprolactone solution. Physicochemical and biological properties of the prepared wound dressing were evaluated under laboratory conditions. The findings demonstrated that curcumin-HA increases the tensile strength and elongation at break while decreasing elastic modulus. In contrast, when the curcumin-HA structure was added to PCL, swelling capacity and degradation rate were significantly improved. In addition, a disk diffusion test on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli confirmed the effectiveness of the antibacterial properties of this wound dressing. In addition, sustained release of curcumin for up to 15 days was achieved in Gel (curcumin-HA)/PCL nanofibers which could be a positive option in the performance of this wound dressing. According to in vitro cell viability tests conducted on the L929 fibroblast cell line, the (curcumin-HA)/PCL gel nanofibers not only did not have cytotoxicity but also improved the cell repair process within three days, confirming their potential for use as wound dressings.