Implantable Electrospun Nanofibers with Wound-Healing Capabilities in the Reduction of Pressure Ulcers
Rim Bouhajeb, Ana Cristina Abreu, Salima Selmi, Christoph Gerke, Ahlem Bellalah, Alexis Alvear‐Jiménez, Laura Lozano Chamizo, Marzia Marciello, Gonzalo Villaverde, Anne Tristan, Leila Chekir‐Ghedira, Ignacio Fernández, Rafael Contreras‐Cáceres
Abstract
We have fabricated an implantable dressing material able to reduce antipressure ulcer disease. This biomaterial is based on electrospun poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers (NFs) containing the hydroethanolic extract (HE) of T. ramosissimum . Optimized synthesis conditions (17-PLA/HE NFs) resulted in homogeneous and nonwoven mat structures formed by polymeric NFs. We have included a kinetic release assay where the chemical structures of the main released compounds were identified using nuclear magnetic resonance. The identified compounds include molecules from the family of flavonoids, monoterpenoids, hydroxycinnamic derivatives, and phenolic acids. Interestingly, the terpenoid teuhircoside has been identified in Teucrium ramosissimum for the first time. We have also performed in vivo wound-healing investigations, examining the process of healing of induced pressure ulcers in mice, once applying different dressing materials generated in this work. In these in vivo assays, we were able to demonstrate that the implantable 17-PLA/HE NF material improves wound-healing capabilities, reduces the injury area, and provides a high wound closure percentage from the first days of application. Finally, histological assays showed complete re-epithelialization with 17-PLA/HE NFs. This investigation offers the possibility to fabricate implantable materials containing only the here-determined released compounds.