A process-free setup for the preparation of probiotic-loaded electrospun mat as a tailored dressing

Infected burn wounds remain difficult to treat because increasing antibiotic resistance can limit the effectiveness of conventional antimicrobial therapy. Probiotic offers an alternative, but many probiotic dressings require fabrication, encapsulation, or drying procedures that reduce cell viability. This study developed a post-fabrication method for loading probiotics onto electrospun mats and assessed it in a rat model of infected burn wounds, with mupirocin as the control. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) electrospun mats were characterized for fiber morphology, water vapor transmission rate, and mechanical properties. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum was loaded onto the prefabricated mats by soaking or spraying, without prior encapsulation or immobilization. Viable cell loading, release, and short-term survival after loading were quantified. Spraying cells suspended in MRS broth, followed by drying at room temperature, produced the highest viable counts on both mats. Agar diffusion and co-culture assays confirmed that the loaded mats retained antimicrobial activity and released active bacterial metabolites. PLA was selected for the in vivo study because it provided suitable mechanical properties, slower cell detachment, and a lower material cost. The L. plantarum-loaded PLA mats accelerated wound closure, collagen organization, and re-epithelialization. This scalable method may simplify manufacturing while supporting point-of-care preparation of wound dressings.