Polycaprolactone/ Keratin/ Platelet-rich fibrin nanofiber scaffold as wound dressing: in vitro and in vivo study

Recently, nanofibrous structures have shown great potential for a wide range of medical applications. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the wound healing process using Polycaprolactone/Keratin/Platelet-rich fibrin (PCL/Kr/PRF) fibrous scaffold fabricated through electrospinning process. A range of techniques were utilized to fully characterize the chemical, physical and biological properties of the resultant structure. Results revealed that by the addition of only ۰.۵%w/v PRF to PCL/Kr (PCL/Kr/۰.۵PRF) sample, the fibers diameter decreased from ۱۹۳.۹۳ ± ۶۴.۸۰ nm to ۶۵.۹۸ ± ۱۴.۰۳ nm, and the stress at break demonstrated a ۱۸.۲۷% increase in comparison to the PCL sample (from ۲.۹۰ ± ۰.۸۰ MPa to ۳.۴۳ ± ۰.۹۰ MPa). The PCL/Kr/۰.۵PRF scaffold showed more antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria than PCL/Kr sample. Based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, the PCL/Kr/۰.۵PRF sample revealed an independent release of VEGF and PDGF for ۷ days. Cell viability studies demonstrated non-cytotoxic nature of PRF-containing dressings. Also, chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay was performed to evaluate the angiogenic potential of the wound dressings. The in vivo assessments also showed that PCL/Kr/۰.۵PRF accelerated the wound healing process in terms of collagen deposition and the formation of skin appendages which was comparable to the normal skin. Overall, the data presented in this study greatly suggest that the PCL/Kr/۰.۵PRF wound dressing could be a suitable candidate for wound healing and skin regeneration.

Keywords:

Keratin , Platelet-rich fibrin , fiber , Wound dressing , Wound healing.