Electrospun Scaffolds Based on Zataria multiflora Essential Oil–Loaded PVDF Nanofibers as Antibacterial Wound Dressings

Abstract

The performance of drug-loaded electrospun mats as novel wound dressings is substantially affected by their formulation. In this study, the influence of polymer and drug concentration on microstructure, mechanical properties, and drug release behavior as well as biological characteristics of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) electrospun mats loaded with Zataria multiflora essential oil (ZMEO) as an herbal drug is explored. From microstructural, mechanical, and processability viewpoints, the blank mats obtained from the solution with 14 wt.% PVDF had optimum characteristics close to the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) of human skin. Electrospinning process was hard for the solutions with more than 14 wt.% PVDF. Microstructural defects of drug-loaded PVDF nanofibers increased, and their diameter and mechanical properties decreased with ZMEO content. Making PVDF nanofibers by electrospinning process was impossible in the presence of an amount of ZMEO more than 7 wt.%. PVDF electrospun mats with 3 and 5 wt.% ZMEO, besides appropriate microstructural and mechanical properties, showed the antioxidant activity more than 50% and antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The drug release profile of these mats promising for wound dressing application was bimodal. It was initially (in 2.5 h) fast so that the released drug amount was in the range of 30%–50%; but then it followed a slow linear pattern with time.