Electrospun Fibers of Ecovio® Polymer Blends with Antimicrobial Tea Tree Essential Oil: Enhanced Chemical and Biological Properties

Abstract

This study presents the development of fibers with favorable properties for biodegradable wound dressings made from the Ecovio® (EC) polymer blend, composed of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), incorporated with tea tree essential oil (TTE). TTE presented antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, achieving minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 15 and 7.5 mg/mL, respectively. The TTE was mixed with EC in a binary chloroform and formic acid (85/15 v/v) mixture. The EC/TTE fibers were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), confirming the TTE in the fibers. The tests showed that TTE (0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mL) improved the polymer blend’s electrospinnability, leading to bead-free, homogenous, and smaller fiber diameters. TTE (1.5 mL or 75 w% concerning the EC) leads to homogeneous fibers with an average diameter of 278 ± 59 nm. TTE (75 w%) increased the wettability of the EC fibers from 120 ± 2° to 69 ± 1°. Preliminary bacterial adhesion and proliferation assays demonstrated that the EC/TTE fibers have anti-adhesive activity and demonstrate greater toxicity, which seems more toxic against P. aeruginosa than S. aureus after 24 h of incubation. Fluorescence and coagulation kinetics tests performed with human blood indicated that the EC/TTE fibers accelerate blood coagulation. The EC/TTE fibers exhibit promising chemical and biological properties (in vitro) for developing wound dressings.