Electrospun biocompatible core/shell polymer-free core structure nanofibers with superior antimicrobial potency against multi drug resistance organisms

This report, for the first time indicates simple coaxial spinneret electrospinning technique for the fabrication of biomedicated core-shell fine curcumin (Cur) nanofiber mats with a polymer-free core which can prevent wound infections. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Chitosan (CS) were used as the shell of nanofibers and curcumin, a natural drug with high antimicrobial activity, was loaded into the core of nanofibers (without any polymer) for the enhancement of bioactivity and bioavailability. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images show that the prepared nanofibers were fine and uniform with clear core/sheath structure with an average diameter of about 125 nm. FT-IR spectroscopy indicated convenient interactions between drug and polymers. In vitro drug release profiles were investigated using Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The release profiles showed that these core/shell nanofibers with a polymer-free core could limit the initial burst release of the drug and obtained an improved sustainability in comparison with blend nanofibers. The antimicrobial activity experiment demonstrated that the activity of core/shell Cur/PVA-CS polymer-free core nanofibers was more pronounced against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) than tat against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Due to the fact that no harmful organic solvents were ...
Source: Polymer - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research