Investigating of the influence of zinc oxide nanoparticles morphology on the properties of electrospun polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan (PVA/CS) nanofibers

In recent years, investigating of the effect of nanoparticles with different morphologies in therapeutic applications has attracted the attention of many researchers. In this research, the effect of adding zinc oxide nanoparticles with a completely new morphology in the improving the properties of PVA/CS nanofibers as a wound dressing are investigated. Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using the co-precipitation method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Zeta potential (ZP), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to characterize the synthesized particles. Using Experimental Design software resulted in the preparation of defect-free nanoscale fibers and beads by optimizing factors such as voltage, feed rate and PVA/CS mixing ratio. After determining the optimal conditions, several weight percentages of ZnO nanoparticles with pyramidal rod and star-like morphologies were introduced to the electrospinning solution. The properties of the fabricated nanofibers were also analyzed by SEM, FTIR, tensile testing, thermal analysis, antibacterial testing, and in vivo wound healing in mice. The tensile tests revealed that the addition of zinc oxide nanoparticles with pyramidal rod morphology increased the mechanical strength of PVA/CS nanofibers, while star-like ZnO decreased the mechanical strength. Furthermore, incorporating ZnO in PVA/CS nanofibers greatly enhances their heat resistance. The antibacterial test results revealed that fibers containing zinc oxide nanoparticles have significant antibacterial activities. In vivo wound healing tests demonstrated that PVA/CS/ZnO nanofibers enhanced wound healing compared to PVA/CS nanofibers. Histopathological investigation revealed that epidermal regeneration is complete in samples containing ZnO nanoparticles. The present study shows that PVA/CS nanofibers containing zinc oxide nanoparticles with pyramidal rod morphology have great potential in wound healing.