Fabrication of chitosan oligomer-coated electrospun polycaprolactone membrane for wound dressing application

Wound dressings are typically used to provide a favorable environment supporting the intricate process of wound healing. This research aims to fabricate and evaluate an electrospun polycaprolactone (EsPCL) membrane coated with various densities of chitosan oligomers (COS) - a biological agent - for application as bioactive wound dressing. Weight calculation was employed to investigate the density of COS coated onto the electrospun PCL membrane. Physicochemical characteristics of the prepared membranes, such as hydrophilicity and mechanical properties were demonstrated and evaluated through standard experimental methods. In vitro assays and mice model were used to investigate the antibacterial activities, cytocompatibility, hemostasis and the in vivo interaction of the membranes. The results showed that COS was coated successfully on the surface of the polymeric membrane, altering its morphology and associated characteristics. The greater concentration of COS led to an increase in the thickness of the membrane, which resulted in stronger antibacterial activities. Moreover, the increase of chitosan oligomers density in the membrane induced faster hemostasis and affected the re-epithelialization and wound healing in mice. Thus, the membrane as a whole and particularly chitosan oligomers were shown to be potential for further studies regarding wound dressing.