Assessing the efficacy of polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan nanofibrous mat loaded with myrtle essential oil/gum Arabic in wound healing

Nowadays, extensive research has been conducted on electrospun nanofibers for wound dressing applications. Considering the growing concern over bacterial resistance to common antibiotics, investigating the potential of natural essential oils with antibacterial properties could prove to be beneficial in addressing this issue. In response to the challenges posed by impaired wound healing, we have designed a novel electrospun polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan nanofiber embedded with myrtle essential oil and gum Arabic dispersion (PVA/CS/MT-GA). The morphology and molecular structure of the prepared nanofibers were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. The synthesized PVA/CS/MT-GA composite demonstrated a remarkable swelling capacity of 744% and exhibited acceptable mechanical strength. Additionally, the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of these nanofibers was obtained as 2497 g.m^-2.day^-1, which falls within the ideal range for wound dressings. The antimicrobial test results revealed that PVA/CS/MT-GA nanofibers exhibited notable antibacterial properties when tested against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>. The release profile of MT from MT-containing nanofibers exhibited a burst release mechanism in PVA/CS/MT-GA nanofibers, which can be beneficial in applications that require an immediate therapeutic effect. Furthermore, nanofibers as wound dressings in the full-thickness wound model of Wistar rats demonstrated a remarkable capacity to care for damaged tissue and promote faster healing times. Collectively, the results obtained in this study suggest that the developed nanofiber holds great promise as a potential candidate for wound dressing applications.