Physicochemical Properties Comparison between Polyvinyl Alcohol/Chitosan/Trigona Honey Electrospun Nanofibers and Films for Wound Healing

Abstract

Infection and prolonged inflammation are among the main threats to effective wound healing. Hence, this study aimed to develop multifunctional medicated wound dressings in the form of electrospun nanofibers and films containing polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan, and Trigona honey (PVA/CS/TH), and compare their physicochemical properties. Two control samples without honey (PVA/CS) were also fabricated for comparison. Electrospinning and solvent casting techniques were used to fabricate electrospun nanofibers and films, respectively. The effects of different fabrication techniques as well as integration of TH into the polymer matrix were examined through surface morphology, elemental, wettability, dissolubility, and water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) analyses. The PVA/CS-1 and PVA/CS/TH-1 nanofibers showed interconnecting pores while the PVA/CS-2 and PVA/CS/TH-2 films exhibited smooth and non-homogeneous surfaces, respectively. Larger fiber diameters were observed for the PVA/CS-1 nanofibers. Inclusion of TH resulted in beaded fibers, reduced fiber diameter, and increased porosity of the PVA/CS/TH-1 nanofibers. Wettability analysis revealed that the PVA/CS-1 nanofibers (65.83° ± 5.90) were more hydrophilic than the PVA/CS-2 films (93.57° ± 4.19) and TH addition further reduced the water contact angle of both nanofibers and films. From the WVTR analysis, both nanofibers and PVA/CS-2 films exhibited higher WVTR exceeding 279 g/m²/24h which represents the WVTR value in the first-degree burns. This study suggested that PVA/CS/TH-1 nanofibers have superior physicochemical properties as multifunctional medicated wound dressings than the other samples.