Production and Characterization of Plant Extract-Based Cell-Friendly and High Mechanical Strength Nanofiber Wound Dressings by Electrospinning Technique

Abstract

This study focused on the development of wound dressings. Plant active ingredients such as clover, chickweed, chamomile, garlic, liverwort, bitter melon, pine resin, marigold (Calendula officinalis), and St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) were reinforced with polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymers, and nanofiber membranes were produced by electrospinning. As a result of the analyses, FTIR confirmed the presence of polymer and active ingredient functional groups in the composite membranes; softening and shifting were observed in the peaks. In the FEGSEM analysis, a thin and regular nanofiber structure was obtained in the S12 membrane in the range of 150–500 nm. In the tensile test, the tensile strength of the S12 sample was measured as 25.89 MPa, and this strength was associated with the homogeneous distribution and thinning of the fibers. In the mesenchymal stem cell analysis, cell viability was determined as 98%, and cell death was determined as 2% for the S12 membrane at the end of 72 h. The results show that the S12 composite membrane can be used as a biomaterial with ideal properties in wound healing applications.