Blend Electrospinning of Nigella sativa-Incorporating PCL/PLA/HA Fibers and Its Investigation for Bone Healing Applications

Abstract

One of the well-known postoperative complications that requires a number of prophylactic and curative treatments is infection. The implications of postsurgical infections are further exacerbated by the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. Reduced effectiveness of synthetic antibiotics has led to an interest in plant-based substances. Extracts obtained from Nigella sativa have been shown to possess effective anti-infectious agents against bacteria frequently seen in bone infections. In this study, a fiber-based bone scaffold containing polycaprolactone, poly(lactic acid), and hydroxyapatite with N. sativa oil at varying concentrations was developed. Solvent electrospinning was used to fabricate the fibers with the specified composition. According to FE-SEM analysis, fibers with average diameters of 751 ± 82, 1000 ± 100, 1020 ± 90, and 1223 ± 112 nm were formed and successful integration of N. sativa oil into the fiber's structure was confirmed via FTIR. Staphylococcus aureus showed moderate susceptibility against the fibers with a maximum inhibition zone diameter of 11.5 ± 1.6 mm. MTT assay analysis exhibited concentration-dependent cell toxicity against fibroblast cells. In short, the antibacterial fibers synthesized in this study possessed antibacterial properties while also allowing moderate accommodation of CDD fibroblast cells at low oil concentrations, which can be a potential application for bone healing and mitigating postsurgical infections.

New Generation of Osteoinductive and Antimicrobial Polycaprolactone-Based Scaffolds in Bone Tissue Engineering: A Review

“…PCL can be further blended with natural or synthetic hydrophilic polymers to improve biodegradability and achieve some degree of hydrophilicity [ 18 ]. Examples of electrospun fibrous scaffolds made from PCL blended with natural polymers (such as chitosan [ 22 ], silk, and gelatin [ 23 ]) or synthetic ones (such as PLGA and PLA) [ 24 , 25 , 26 ] have been successfully reported. Additionally, the incorporation of calcium carbonate or calcium phosphate particles into the polymer solution or melt has been shown to enhance osteoblast proliferation and differentiation [ 17 , 27 ].…”

“…Furthermore, uniaxial and coaxial configurations can be used to prepare single-phase or core–shell fibres. Particularly, Prado-Prone et al [ 25 ] developed electrospun PCL with antibacterial features by incorporating zinc oxide (ZnO) particles within the fibres [ 28 ]. They fabricated fibrous materials by electrospinning a ZnO-PCL solution/suspension using acetic acid as a green solvent.…”

“…Additionally, levofloxacin was dissolved in the xylan solution and demonstrated excellent bactericidal performance against E. coli and S. aureus . Moghaddasi et al [ 25 ] prepared composite electrospun fibrous scaffolds made of PCL/PLA/HA; the mixture was dissolved and dispersed in a N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and dichloromethane (DCM) mixture, to which was added Nigella sativa -derived essential oil, prior to electrospinning. The research demonstrated the antibacterial properties against Gram-positive bacteria of these fibrous constructs, highlighting the need to tune the concentration of Nigella sativa (no higher than 15%) to avoid a cytotoxic effect against fibroblast cells.…”

“…Several papers reported the loading of CaPs and antimicrobial agents on 3D scaffolds based on PCL, and revealed no alterations in their structural integrity and interconnected porosity, while demonstrating sustained release of the incorporated compounds [ 125 , 126 ]. Conversely, a 3D scaffold based on PCL, PLA, and HA was enriched with Nigella sativa , known as black curcumin: the addition of the natural compound determined an altered morphology compared to the pure one [ 25 ].…”

“…Likewise, a 3D scaffold based on PCL/PLA and enriched with HA and Nigella sativa oil at concentrations of 15, 18, and 20 wt% was evaluated for the antibacterial properties against S. aureus and E. coli by the inhibition halo test. The data revealed that, when the natural compound was added, the antibacterial activity was obtained only towards S. aureus since E. coli displayed a natural resistance to Nigella sativa [ 25 ].…”