A Smart Thermo-Responsive and Sustained-Release Dressing Based on Loofah-Structured Nanofibrous Membrane for...

As one of the most distinctive therapeutic methods in traditional Chinese medicine, moxibustion therapy has garnered significant attention for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor effects. However, traditional moxibustion therapy lacks portability, generates substantial harmful gas emissions during combustion, and exhibits uncontrollable burning temperatures, which lead to unstable therapeutic outcomes. In this work, a smart thermo-responsive and sustained-release dressing with a three-layer structure is developed. Within this design, the electrothermal carbon fiber layer is responsible for heat generation, while the thermochromic nanofiber membrane layer enables temperature visualization. The core functional layer is a polylactic acid/hollow carbon nanosphere/mugwort essential oil nanofiber membrane fabricated via electrospinning. Leveraging its hierarchical porous structure and the microencapsulation effect of the hollow carbon nanospheres, the membrane achieves a high mugwort essential oil loading capacity of 164.32%, effectively maintaining sustained release over 10 days. The dressing exhibits excellent temperature responsiveness and reusability, maintaining accurate temperature control even after 200 consecutive cycles. Experiments using a porcine skin model demonstrated that the active components of the essential oil can penetrate into both the stratum corneum and stratum corneum-removed tissue, with thermotherapy significantly enhancing their transdermal absorption. This study provides a green, safe, and convenient solution for modernizing traditional moxibustion therapy.