Two-layer electrospun system enabling wound exudate management and visual infection response

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Abstract

The spread of antimicrobial resistance calls for chronic wound management devices that can engage with the wound exudate and signal infection by prompt visual effects. Here, the manufacture of a two-layer fibrous device with independently-controlled exudate management capability and visual infection responsivity was investigated by sequential free surface electrospinning of poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) (PMMA-co-MAA) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). By selecting wound pH as infection indicator, PMMA-co-MAA fibres were encapsulated with halochromic bromothymol blue (BTB) to trigger colour changes at infection-induced alkaline pH. Likewise, the exudate management capability was integrated via the synthesis of a thermally-crosslinked network in electrospun PAA layer. PMMA-co-MAA fibres revealed high BTB loading efficiency (>80 wt.%) and demonstrated prompt colour change and selective dye release at infected-like media (pH > 7). The synthesis of the thermally-crosslinked PAA network successfully enabled high water uptake (WU = 1291 ± 48 − 2369 ± 34 wt.%) and swelling index (SI = 272 ± 4 − 285 ± 3 a.%), in contrast to electrospun PAA controls. This dual device functionality was lost when the same building blocks were configured in a single-layer mesh of core-shell fibres, whereby significant BTB release (~70 wt.%) was measured even at acidic pH. This study therefore demonstrates how the fibrous configuration can be conveniently manipulated to trigger structure-induced functionalities critical to chronic wound management and monitoring.

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Bazbouz, M. B., & Tronci, G. (2019). Two-layer electrospun system enabling wound exudate management and visual infection response. Sensors (Switzerland), 19(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/s19050991

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