A berberine-loaded electrospun poly-(epsilon-caprolactone) nanofibrous membrane with hemostatic potential and antimicrobial property for wound dressing.

In this study, a berberine-loaded electrospun poly-(epsilon-caprolactone) nanofibrous membrane (B-NFM) was formulated. The B-NFM was composed of uniform nanofibers with the average diameter of 190 +/- 53 nm. Whole blood assay revealed that the B-NFM had higher absorption capacity than gauze wound dressing (GWD) and non-drug-loaded nanofibrous membrane (NFM). Hemostatic studies showed that the B-NFM was more efficient at promoting blood clotting than GWD and NFM. B-NFM was also demonstrated to possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Biocompatibility studies indicated that B-NFM had good compatibility with skin fibroblast cells. These results suggested that the B-NFM can promote in vitro hemostasis to minimize wound bleeding, absorb biofluid to provide a favorable environment, inhibit on-site microbial agents to prevent wound infection, and support skin cell growth to facilitate wound healing. These data highly suggest a potential clinical use of B-NFM as wound dressing material.