Design and characterisation of electrospun shellac-polyvinylpyrrolidone blended micro/nanofibres loaded with monolaurin for application in wound healing

Due to their ultrafine network structures, electrospun nanofibres have been potentially used for wound application. In order to develop a desired wound dressing material, shellac (SHL) was blended with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). Monolaurin (ML), which is a natural antimicrobial lipid, was incorporated into the SHL-PVP blended fibres to prevent delayed wound healing resulting from microbial infection. A full factorial design with three replicated centre points was employed in order to determine the main and interaction effects of various factors including SHL ratio in SHL-PVP blended solution, ML content and applied voltage on the multiple responses such as morphology, surface wettability, absorbency and mechanical properties. According to the results, an increase in the PVP content could lead to a significant increase in tensile strength and elongation. In addition, the presence of PVP contributed to an improvement in the drug loading capacity and dissolution rate. The fabricated fibres loaded with ML exhibited an excellent activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, and also provided an enhanced ability in the cell adhesion. Therefore, SHL-PVP blended fibres loaded with ML might be effectively used for application in wound healing.