PMMA nanofibers containing Keplerate-type polyoxometalate and metronidazole: Preparation and wound-healing effect in a rat model

Wound healing is crucial because it entails a complex cellular process that complicates the design of scaffolds for therapeutic purposes. Present study is focused on the development of a new wound dressing based on polymethyl methacrylate nanofibers containing Mo72Fe30 as a Keplerate-type polyoxometalate with efficient and controlled delivery of metronidazole during wound healing. The hydrophilic nature of biocompatible Mo72Fe30 along with the antibiotic and wound healing properties of metronidazole were utilized to develop an efficient wound dressing. The efficient and controlled release of metronidazole was assisted by the presence of Keplerete as an anion and metronidazole as a cation. The nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning of appropriate solution and characterized by FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, TGA, and elemental analysis. The surface wettability, microstructure, water absorption capacity, mechanical properties, in-vitro biocompatibility, drug release behavior, and in-vivo wound healing of prepared dressings were also evaluated. The in-vivo animal studies (injury created on the back of Wistar rats) showed the complete healing of wounds after 14 days of being covered by wound dressing compared to a sterile gauze, which shows approximately 45% reduction in wound size. The amounts of wound closure using dressing were found to be 95.26 and 97.97% after 7 and 14 days of wounding, respectively. The overall results indicated the high potential of these nanofiber-based dressings for wound healing.