Chiara Tonda-Turo1, Francesca Ruini2, Chiara Ceresa3, Piergiorgio Gentile4, Patrícia Varela2, Ana M Ferreira4, Letizia Fracchia3, Gianluca Ciardelli2. 1. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy. Electronic address: chiara.tondaturo@polito.it. 2. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Turin, Italy. 3. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale "A. Avogadro", Largo Donegani 2, 28100, Novara, Italy. 4. School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS: Wound healing is a complex process that often requires treatment with antibacterial agents to avoid infection, which affects the optimal tissue regeneration process. Ideal scaffolds for wound healing treatment should combine biomimetic features to ensure the tissue growth on properly designed extracellular matrix (ECM)-like scaffolds and antibacterial properties in order to avoid bacterial colonization. EXPERIMENTS: In this work, gelatin cross-linked nanofibers (GL-nanofibres), with diameters ranging from 200 to 300 nm, were prepared via a "green electrospinning technique" to mimic the structure and composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM), and promote the normal skin wound healing process. Nanofibres were doped with two antibacterial agents (gentamicin sulphate or silver nanoparticles) to achieve an antibacterial effect against Gram + and Gram- bacteria. FINDINGS: The ECM-mimicking structure of GL-nanofibres was not affected by the presence of the antibacterial agents, which were homogeneously distributed within the mats as shown by SEM and EDS. The antibacterial properties of the developed matrices were confirmed using 4 strains (S. aureus, S. epidermidis, P. aeruginosa and E. coli) while the biocompatibility of the developed substrates and their ability to induce cell growth was assessed using Neonatal Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts (NHDF-Neo).
HYPOTHESIS: Wound healing is a complex process that often requires treatment with antibacterial agents to avoid infection, which affects the optimal tissue regeneration process. Ideal scaffolds for wound healing treatment should combine biomimetic features to ensure the tissue growth on properly designed extracellular matrix (ECM)-like scaffolds and antibacterial properties in order to avoid bacterial colonization. EXPERIMENTS: In this work, gelatin cross-linked nanofibers (GL-nanofibres), with diameters ranging from 200 to 300 nm, were prepared via a "green electrospinning technique" to mimic the structure and composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM), and promote the normal skin wound healing process. Nanofibres were doped with two antibacterial agents (gentamicin sulphate or silver nanoparticles) to achieve an antibacterial effect against Gram + and Gram- bacteria. FINDINGS: The ECM-mimicking structure of GL-nanofibres was not affected by the presence of the antibacterial agents, which were homogeneously distributed within the mats as shown by SEM and EDS. The antibacterial properties of the developed matrices were confirmed using 4 strains (S. aureus, S. epidermidis, P. aeruginosa and E. coli) while the biocompatibility of the developed substrates and their ability to induce cell growth was assessed using Neonatal Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts (NHDF-Neo).
Authors: Elena Mancuso; Chiara Tonda-Turo; Chiara Ceresa; Virginia Pensabene; Simon D Connell; Letizia Fracchia; Piergiorgio Gentile Journal: Front Bioeng Biotechnol Date: 2019-12-04