Improved Antimicrobial Ability of Dressings Containing Berberine Loaded Cellulose Acetate/Hyaluronic Acid Electrospun Fibers for Cutaneous Wound Healing

An urgent problem in nursing care is the rising threat of cutaneous wound infections caused by harmful bacteria. In this study, we fabricated a series of cellulose acetate-hyaluronic acid (CA/HA) electrospun fibers loaded with berberine (BBR) using the electrospinning method to determine their antimicrobial performance and potential in in vivo skin wound dressing applications. The BBR-loaded CA/HA electrospun fibers (CA/HA/BBR) were analyzed using scanning electron and Fourier transform infrared microscopies; moreover, their mechanical properties were examined. The analyses demonstrated an average fiber diameter of 502 ± 50 nm; the tensile strength, Young's modulus, and break elongation of CA/HA electrospun fibers were approximately 3.23 ± 0.08 MPa, 17.5 ± 0.03 MPa, and 28.4%, respectively, whereas these values for CA/HA/BBR electrospun fibers were 238 ± 39 nm and 2.99 ± 0.05 MPa, 12.3 ± 0.04 MPa, and 47.8%, respectively. Antimicrobial evaluation of the CA/HA/BBR electrospun fibers demonstrated that the dressings made from these fibers exhibited greater antimicrobial efficacy (>95%) against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli when compared to that made from CA/HA (>80%) electrospun fibers. In vitro experiments showed that BBR loaded CA/HA electrospun fiber scaffolds have highly enhanced cell viability (>99) and proliferation of L929 fibroblastic cells after 7 days of incubation. In addition, in vivo evaluations in rats showed that the as-fabricated CA/HA/BBR bandage decreased wound size; moreover, it had accelerated healing ability (>95%) and collagen development with increasing treatment duration. These results showed that the addition of BBR enhanced the bioactivity of the dressing without damaging its physical characteristics. Thus, nanostructured dressing made of CA/HA/BBR electrospun fibers has excellent potency for tissue repair in nursing care.