Fabrication and evaluation of agarose-curdlan blend derived multifunctional nanofibrous mats for diabetic wounds

Diabetic wounds with complex pathophysiology significantly burden the wound care industry and require novel management strategies. In the present study, we hypothesized that agarose-curdlan based nanofibrous dressings could be an effective biomaterial for addressing diabetic wounds due to their inherent healing properties. Hence, agarose/curdlan/polyvinyl alcohol based nanofibrous mats loaded with ciprofloxacin (0, 1, 3, and 5 wt%) were fabricated using an electrospinning technique with water and formic acid. In vitro evaluation revealed the average diameter of the fabricated nanofibers between 115 and 146 nm with high swelling (~450-500 %) properties. They exhibited enhanced mechanical strength (7.46 ± 0.80 MPa -7.79 ± 0.007 MPa) and significant biocompatibility (~90-98 %) with L929 and NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblasts. In vitro scratch assay showed higher proliferation and migration of fibroblasts (~90-100 % wound closure) compared to electrospun PVA and control. Significant antibacterial activity was observed against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In vitro real-time gene expression studies with human THP-1 cell line revealed a significant downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (8.64 fold decrease for TNF-α) and upregulation of anti-inflammatory cytokines (6.83 fold increase for IL-10) compared to lipopolysaccharide. In brief, the results advocate agarose-curdlan mat as a potential multifunctional, bioactive, and eco-friendly dressing for healing diabetic wounds.