Electrospun anti-inflammatory patch loaded with essential oils for wound healing

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Wound Healing Research
• Nanotechnology Applications

Background:

• Wound healing involves inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling phases, often complicated by bacterial infections.
• Bacterial infections trigger inflammatory cascades involving immune cells like macrophages and neutrophils.
• Essential oils possess antimicrobial properties, crucial for combating bacterial growth and reducing antimicrobial resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofiber patches loaded with essential oils (thymol and tyrosol) for wound healing applications.
• To investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of these PCL-based patches on activated macrophages.
• To compare the efficacy of thymol (THY) and tyrosol (TYR) loaded patches in modulating inflammatory gene expression.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers loaded with thymol (THY) and tyrosol (TYR).
• Assessment of the anti-inflammatory effects of PCL-THY, PCL-TYR, and PCL-TYR-THY patches on activated macrophages.
• Quantification of pro-inflammatory gene expression related to the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κb) pathway.

Main Results:

• PCL-THY patches demonstrated superior down-regulation of pro-inflammatory genes in the NF-κb pathway compared to PCL-TYR and PCL-TYR-THY.
• Thymol-loaded patches (PCL-THY) exhibited low affinity for cell attachment, potentially impacting wound adherence.
• Essential oil-loaded PCL nanofibers show potential for combined antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory wound dressing applications.

Conclusions:

• Thymol-loaded PCL nanofibers are effective in reducing inflammation associated with wound healing.
• These THY-loaded patches offer a promising alternative to conventional antibiotic-loaded wound dressings.
• Further research is needed to optimize cell attachment properties for enhanced wound integration.