Silymarin-loaded electrospun polycaprolactone nanofibers as wound dressing

Abstract

Herein, we fabricated silymarin (SIL)-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun nanofiber mats containing different SIL concentrations (5, 7.5, 10%) for wound dressing applications. Solution properties, nanofiber properties and SIL presence were analyzed by viscosity measurements, SEM and FTIR, respectively. Solution viscosities were increased with increasing SIL concentrations resulting in bead-free, thicker and smooth nanofibers. The lowest contact angle was measured as similar to 92 degrees for 10% SIL-loaded sample which had the smoothest nanofibers and a more controlled and continuous SIL release with a rate of 68.29% at end of 144 h during in vitro release experiments. In vivo studies on rats were conducted on this sample and results were compared with a conventional wound dressing and a PCL nanofiber mat. In comparison, the 10% SIL-loaded sample provided more rapid and significantly greater wound healing from the first day of observation. The results confirmed the potential application of PCL/SIL electrospun nanofiber mats as wound dressing.