From Plant to Fiber: Addressing Challenges in Herbal Extract Preparation for Electrospinning Applications

Electrospinning of herbal extracts into nanofibrous membranes presents a promising avenue for advancing oral healthcare, particularly in periodontal regeneration.This article investigates the integration of Traditional Chinese Herbs-Melia azedarach, Corydalis yanhusuo, and Cynanchum atratum-into electrospun nanofibers for dental applications.We detail the multistep preparation of herbal extracts, highlighting critical challenges such as inconsistent solubility, variable phytochemical content, incompatible solution properties, and thermal or oxidative instability.The electrospinning process itself requires fine-tuning of solution properties (viscosity and conductivity) and precise operational parameters (voltage, humidity, and flow rate) to achieve structurally sound, bioactive nanofibers.Postfabrication processes-including crosslinking and optimized drying methods-are needed to ensure fiber stability and retention of herbal bioactivity.Recent advances in chemical and mechanical extraction techniques, such as 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation and high-pressure homogenization (HPH), are also discussed for improving nanocellulose yield and quality from herbal sources.The resulting electrospun nanofibers have shown potential in mimicking natural oral tissue, delivering drugs in a controlled fashion, promoting tissue repair, and imparting antimicrobial properties, thus emphasizing their translational relevance for dental and broader biomedical fields.