Innovative Bioactive Nanofibrous Materials Combining Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Extracts and Electrospinning Method

Abstract

Since antiquity, humans have known about plants as a medicinal cure. Recently, plant extracts are attracting more attention as a result of their natural origin and wide range of desirable features. Nanotechnology’s progress and innovations enable the production of novel materials with enhanced properties for a broad range of applications. Electrospinning is a cutting-edge, flexible and economical technique that allows the creation of continuous nano- and microfibrous membranes with tunable structure, characteristics and functionalities. Electrospun fibrous materials are used in drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound healing, cosmetics, food packaging, agriculture and other fields due to their useful properties such as a large surface area to volume ratio and high porosity with small pore size. By encapsulating plant extracts in a suitable polymer matrix, electrospinning can increase the medicinal potential of these extracts, thus improving their bioavailability and maintaining the required concentration of bioactive compounds at the target site. Moreover, the created hybrid fibrous materials could possess antimicrobial, antifungal, antitumor, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that make the obtained structures attractive for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. This review summarizes the known approaches that have been applied to fabricate fibrous materials loaded with diverse plant extracts by electrospinning. Some potential applications of the extract-containing micro- and nanofibers such as wound dressings, drug delivery systems, scaffolds for tissue engineering and active food packaging systems are discussed.

The In Vitro Assessment of Antibacterial and Antioxidant Efficacy in Rosa damascena and Hypericum perforatum Extracts against Pathogenic Strains in the Interplay of Dental Caries, Oral Health, and Food Microbiota

“…According to the results of previous studies, H. perforatum oil or solvent-based extracts have antibacterial and anti-biofilm properties against the common bacteria associated with periodontitis, such as P. gingivalis , Escherichia coli , S. mutans , S. sobrinus , and S. aureus Furthermore, Bagheri et al showed that H. perforatum oil has the same bactericidal ability as that shown by the antibiotic control groups [ 88 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 ].…”

Nanofibers produced from medicinal and aromatic plant extracts by electrospinning method

“…Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) [21], poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) [16,22], polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) [23][24][25], polyurethane (PU) [26], polyethylene glycol (PEG) [27], polycaprolactone (PCL) [28], polyethylene oxide (PEO), polylactic acid (PLGA), polystyrene (PS) and polyglycerol (PG), chitosan (CS), gelatin, pectin, collagen [18] are widely used in ES in the literature.…”

“…Plants have been used for therapeutic purposes since ancient times. However, due to their natural structure and many useful and effective properties, plant extracts have gained more popularity in recent years [27]. According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 20,000 medicinal plants in 91 countries.…”

“…Plant extracts contain a high concentration of bioactive chemicals such as polyphenols and carotenoids and therefore can be used as health foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biopesticides, chemical alternatives, etc. [27].…”

Innovative Multilayer Electrospun Patches for the Slow Release of Natural Oily Extracts as Dressings to Boost Wound Healing

“…The utilization of electrospun fibers for wound dressing applications, containing natural bioactive substances, represents a relatively recent technological advancement. Several research studies published over the past five years on this topic highlight the versatility of electrospun materials for diverse therapeutic applications, in addition to tailorable chemical and physical properties [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Our methodology adopts the manufacturing protocols developed by Nanofaber srl to produce oily extract-loaded electrospun membranes for wound healing applications.…”