In vivo biocompatibility of electrospun chitosan/PEO nanofiber as potential wound dressing material for diabetic burn wound injury of mice

Abstract

Diabetes is a lifestyle havoc of the present epoch and patients suffer from all co-morbid situations. Diabetic burn wound patients are mostly affected due to the high rate of infection-alluring co-morbidity. Our study focused on the use of a unique combination of Chitosan/Polyethylene oxide (CS/PEO) woven into fibers by electrospinning to relieve these critical health conditions. The anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and tissue-repairing virtue of chitosan along with the broad-spectrum antibacterial effect of polyethylene oxide were highlighted for the treatment of ectopic infection and re-epithelialization of tissue. Single-dose streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice model was developed to study the applicability of CS/PEO nanofiber as dressing material on burn wounds. The average nanofiber diameter was 165  nm mimicking the extracellular matrix with a significant degree (125%) of swelling and thermal stability. Studies of optical density on the bacterial species identified from the wound suggested more than 50% antibacterial activity. Planimetric assessment, Haematoxylin & Eosin staining (HE) and Masson’s Trichrome (MT) staining suggested a remarkable 94.7% (p < 0.01) wound contraction with the increasing trend of re-epithelialization and  a reduced rate of inflammation in diabetic mice over 20 days. So, CS/PEO nanofiber can be used as an excellent alternative dressing material to heal diabetic burn wounds by limiting inflammatory infiltration and microvessels along with antibacterial efficacy.