AI-Driven Optimization of PCL/PEG Electrospun Scaffolds for Enhanced In Vivo Wound Healing

Abstract

Here, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based approach was employed to optimize the production of electrospun scaffolds for in vivo wound healing applications. By combining polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in various concentration ratios, dissolved in chloroform (CHCl 3 ) and dimethylformamide (DMF), 125 different polymer combinations were created. From these polymer combinations, electrospun nanofiber meshes were produced and characterized structurally and mechanically via microscopic techniques, including chemical composition and fiber diameter determination. Subsequently, these data were used to train a neural network, creating an AI model to predict the optimal scaffold production solution. Guided by the predictions and experimental outcomes of the AI model, the most promising scaffold for further in vitro analyses was identified. Moreover, we enriched this selected polymer combination by incorporating antibiotics, aiming to develop electrospun nanofiber scaffolds tailored for in vivo wound healing applications. Our study underscores three noteworthy conclusions: (i) the application of AI is pivotal in the fields of material and biomedical sciences, (ii) our methodology provides an effective blueprint for the initial screening of biomedical materials, and (iii) electrospun PCL/PEG antibiotic-bearing scaffolds exhibit outstanding results in promoting neoangiogenesis and facilitating in vivo wound treatment.

Highly Cytocompatible Polylactic Acid Based Electrospun Microfibers Loaded with Silver Nanoparticles Generated onto Chestnut Shell Lignin for Targeted Antibacterial Activity and Antioxidant Action

“…In the past decade, growing interest has been devoted to fiber scaffolds prepared by electrospinning, allowing the production of distributed fibers with an average diameter ranging from nano- to micrometers, , to be used for various applications ranging from electrode production and catalysis , to drug delivery, , tissue engineering, − and biosensing, with the latter taking benefit from their biodegradability, nontoxicity, nonmutagenicity, and nonimmunogenicity. − In this context, the peculiar architecture of e-spun fibers is a critical element, as they perfectly mimic the complexity and three-dimensional size of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and act as a physical support for anchoring cells that would regenerate new tissues after injury and damage. − The composition of e-spun fibers is very ample featuring a higher degree of diversity than any other type of fibers . Polylactic acid (PLA), mostly the l -isomer (PLLA), one of the most interesting and promising biodegradable and biocompatible materials widely used in biomedical applications such as drug delivery and surgical wound dressing, − has been considered as valuable for e-spun fiber preparation.…”