Cinnamaldehyde incorporated gellan/PVA electrospun nanofibers for eradicating Candida biofilm

Immunocompromised patients encounter fungal infections more frequently than healthy individuals. Conventional drugs associated health risk and resistance, portrayed fungal infections as a global health problem. This issue needs to be answered immediately by designing a novel anti-fungal therapeutic agent. Phytoactive molecules based therapeutics are most suitable candidate due to their low cytotoxicity and minimal side effects to the host. In this study, cinnamaldehyde (CA), an FDA approved phytoactive molecule present in cinnamon essential oil was incorporated into gellan (GA)/poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) based electrospun nanofibers to resolve the issues like low water solubility, high volatility and irritant effect associated with CA and also to enhance its therapeutic applications. The drug encapsulation, morphology and physical properties of the synthesized CA nanofibers were evaluated by FESEM, AFM, TGA, FTIR and static water contact angle analysis. The average diameters of CA encapsulated GA/PVA nanofibers and GA/PVA nanofibers were recorded to be 278.5 ± 57.8 nm and 204.03 ± 39.14 nm, respectively. These nanofibers were evaluated for their anti-biofilm activity against Candida using XTT (2, 3-bis (2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino)-carbonyl]-2H-tetrazolium salt) reduction assay. Data demonstrated that CA encapsulated GA/PVA nanofibers can effectively eradicate 89.29% and 50.45% of Candida glabrata and Candida albicans biofilm respectively. CA encapsulated nanofibers exhibited brilliant antimicrobial property against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The cytotoxicity assay demonstrated that nanofibers loaded with CA have anticancer properties as it reduces cell viability of breast cancer cells (MCF-7) by 27.7%. These CA loaded GA/PVA (CA-GA/PVA) nanofibers could be used as novel wound dressing material and coatings on biomedical implants to eradicate biofilm.