Multifunctional fibrous membranes based on poly(ε-caprolactone)/ methacrylamide chitosan loaded with VEGF-mimetic...

Diabetic wound treatment remains huge clinical concern due to its susceptibility to bacterial infection, abnormal inflammation, and blocked angiogenesis. Herein, a multifunctional fibrous membrane is fabricated by combining an electrospun VEGF-mimetic peptide (QK)-encapsulated fibrous membrane and a methacrylamide chitosan (ChMA)-based hydrogel coating for effective diabetic wound healing. The fibrous membrane is fabricated via a coaxial-electrospinning method, combining QK as the core layer, and poly(ε-caprolactone)/pterostilbene (PTE) as the shell layer. The ChMA-based coating containing tannic acid (TA) is covered on the membrane by covalent crosslinking and hydrogen bonding. The as-prepared membranes, named as PTE/QK-CTA, showed microporous structure, good mechanical strength and proper swelling capacity, and also have multi-drug delivery capacity, i.e., initial rapid-release of TA, and sustained-release of QK and pterostilbene. Importantly, PTE/QK-CTA can not only suppress bacterial proliferation (ca. 98 %), scavenge DPPH (ca. 96 %), but also in vitro promote the proliferation of endothelial cells and the formation of vascular tubes. Moreover, the in vivo animal studies show that PTE/QK-CTA can effectively accelerate the wound healing of diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats by inhibiting the release of proinflammatory factors, promoting collagen deposition and angiogenesis. This QK-encapsulated multifunctional fibrous membrane represents a promising strategy for the treatment of diabetic wounds.