A conductive antibacterial composite film containing chopped fibers and ciprofloxacin loaded PCL particles for wound dressing application

Abstract

Designing multifunctional wound dressings with admirable mechanical virtues, appropriate electrical conductivity, and good antibacterial performance is critical for preventing infection and promoting tissue repair. Herein, a conductive gellan–agar composite film reinforced with chopped PCL–gelatin electrospun fibers containing polyaniline–graphene (PAG) and loaded with ciprofloxacin (Cip)–encapsulated PCL particles, was developed. The highest electrical conductivity (5.6 × 10^–5 S.cm^–1) was donated to the PCL-gelatin fibers with 1.5 wt.% PAG. The conductive film revealed desirable mechanical characteristics including tensile strength (8.51 ± 0.06 MPa) and elastic modulus (5.92 ± 0.09 MPa) by addition of PCL-gelatin-1.5 wt.% PAG chopped fibers, indicating effective reinforcement of the hydrogel-based matrix. Moreover, the system enabled sustained Cip release, and the release kinetics was well described by a first-order model. The developed film demonstrated antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains, showing inhibition zones of 9 ± 3 mm for Staphylococcus aureus and 16 ± 1 mm for Escherichia coli. In addition, the film displayed appropriate swelling and degradation behavior, supporting its suitability as a wound-contact dressing. The developed multifunctional film in this research would be a worthy asset to prevent infection and accelerate wound repair in future studies.

Graphical Abstract