Electrospun Nanofiber Membranes Based on Sodium Alginate and Multi-Ether Fullerene Derivative as Wound Dressings with the Antioxidant Property

Excessive high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the wound site are also one of the main reasons for difficulty in wound healing. Herein, a kind of antioxidant nanofiber membranes (NFMs) was fabricated by electrospinning sodium alginate (SA) and multi-ether fullerene derivative (mono-C60-O) solutions, which combined the good biocompatibility of SA and excellent antioxidant property of fullerene. The molecular structure of mono-C60-O was characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The morphology of the produced SA/mono-C60-O-X NFMs was homogeneous and consistent, as characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The scavenging efficiencies of SA/mono-C60-O-25 NFMs were high, about 93.3%, 91.1%, and 92.2% for DPPH, ABTS, and ·OH, respectively. The efficiency value is also significantly higher than that of the commercial product Tegaderm. Good cell and blood compatibility exhibited a potential use of SA/mono-C60-O-25 NFMs in wound healing. In vivo wound healing studies showed that the wound of the SA/mono-C60-O-25 NFM-treated mice group was almost completely healed, while the SA NFM-treated and control groups still obviously healed on day 14. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson, and immunohistochemical staining indicated that the SA/mono-C60-O-25 NFMs had a rapid wound healing effect due to the excellent antioxidant property of fullerene, which could reduce inflammatory factors, accelerate angiogenesis, increase collagen deposition, and exert anti-inflammatory effects.