Janus Nanofibrous Membranes Incorporating Green-Synthesized Curcumin/AgNPs: Synergistic High-Efficiency Biofluid Management and Antioxidant/Antibacterial Functionality

Excessive exudate accumulation and bacterial infection form a vicious cycle that causes wound maceration and persistent inflammation, representing a critical clinical challenge in chronic wound care. Although conventional hydrophilic dressings absorb exudate, they fail to enable directional fluid removal and lack active regulation of the wound microenvironment, including antioxidation and long-term antibacterial activity. Herein, we report a multifunctional integrated strategy combining green chemistry and electrospinning to fabricate an asymmetrically wettable Janus nanofibrous dressing (CP/PCA) for efficient biofluid management and synergistic antibacterial/antioxidative therapy. Curcumin (Cur) was used as both a reducing and capping agent for the in situ green synthesis of curcumin-functionalized silver nanoparticles (CAgNPs), which suppressed AgNP aggregation and introduced antioxidative activity. A bilayer structure was then fabricated via sequential electrospinning: a hydrophilic polyethylene glycol/cellulose acetate (PEG/CA) layer as the “pumping layer” and a curcumin-functionalized silver nanoparticle-loaded hydrophobic poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) layer as the “barrier layer”. Owing to the strong wettability gradient between the two layers, the Janus dressing displayed outstanding unidirectional liquid transport (self-pumping), spontaneously draining excess exudate from the hydrophobic wound-contacting side to the hydrophilic layer, maintaining a suitable moist interface and preventing maceration. Released Ag + and curcumin exhibited synergistic antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with inhibition zones of 2.2, 1.5, and 1.3 mm, respectively. The dressing also showed excellent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging ability and favorable hemocompatibility (hemolysis rate <5%). Overall, this green-synthesized CAgNP-based Janus nanofibrous dressing integrates unidirectional exudate removal, long-term broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, and antioxidative protection, offering a promising synergistic strategy for infected wound healing.