Biodegradable and biocompatible Xylan/Polycaprolactone core–shell nanofibers via coaxial electrospinning for antibacterial applications

Xylan/Polycaprolactone (Xylan/PCL) core–shell nanofibers with the flow ratios of 1:1, 1:1.2 and 1:1.4 were successfully prepared by coaxial electrospinning. Xylan was used as the core layer and PCL as the shell layer. The as-prepared fibers were uneven in size and thickness, and bead-on-string structure was formed. The nanofibers can be effectively degraded under acidic or neutral condition. Under the same condition, the degradation rate of the fibers decreased with the increase of PCL's flow rate. Additionally, the resulting Xylan/PCL core–shell nanofibers can be used as carriers for anti-inflammatory drug levofloxacin (LEV). The LEV loaded fibers presented excellent bactericidal performance against E. coli and S. aureus. We anticipated that these biodegradable and biocompatible Xylan/PCL core–shell nanofibers would have potential applications in biomedical fields.