Accelerating the excisional wound closure by using the patterned microstructural nanofibrous mats/gentamicin-loaded...

Area of Science:

• Tissue Engineering
• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Ideal artificial tissue scaffolds require an in vitro microenvironment mimicking native human skin to guide cell functions and promote regeneration.
• Existing wound dressings often lack the structural and functional complexity to fully support tissue repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and evaluate a novel sandwich-like composite scaffold for accelerated wound healing.
• To incorporate antibacterial properties and mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) structure for enhanced efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a composite scaffold with a hydrogel core and two aligned nanofibre layers, incorporating gentamicin.
• Surface modification of the top nanofibre layer with triangular microarrays using micro-moulding to mimic ECM structure.
• Assessment of mechanical properties, drug release kinetics, biocompatibility (cytotoxicity, haemolysis), cell behaviour, and in vivo wound healing efficacy.

Main Results:

• The composite scaffold exhibited significantly improved tensile strength (fivefold increase) and controlled gentamicin release.
• Biocompatibility was confirmed, and the micropatterned surface directed fibroblast cell alignment and migration.
• In vivo studies showed 97.49% wound closure with reduced inflammation and enhanced re-epithelialization and angiogenesis.

Conclusions:

• The developed composite scaffold effectively mimics native skin ECM, providing a pro-regenerative microenvironment.
• The scaffold demonstrates excellent mechanical properties, controlled drug delivery, and promotes rapid and efficient wound healing.
• This engineered tissue scaffold holds significant potential for advanced wound management and tissue engineering applications.