Production and in vitro analysis of catechin incorporated electrospun gelatin/ poly (lactic acid) microfibers for wound dressing applications

Nowadays, herbal materials are applied extensively in fibrous structures for application as a wound dressing. In this study, catechin (Cat) as the green tea extract with antibacterial characteristics has been loaded in gelatin (Gel)/poly (lactic acid) (PLA) fibrous structure by double-nozzle electrospinning technique. For this, PLA-Cat from one nozzle and Gel-Cat solution from another were injected, and fabricated Gel/PLA, Gel/PLA-Cat, Gel-Cat/PLA, and Gel-Cat/PLA-Cat hybrid fibers were gathered onto a rotating collector. In order to verify the application of these scaffolds in bio applications, the morphological, chemical, wettability property, and biological features of fibers were analyzed using SEM, contact angle analysis, antibacterial, and cell attachment tests. The viscosity of spinning solutions increased with the addition of Cat to them that resulted in an increase of fibers diameter. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy highlighted the presence of PLA, Gel, and Cat in the final structure. The results exhibited that the presence of Cat improved the antibacterial activity. Furthermore, cell attachment studies with L929 fibroblast cells demonstrated that incorporation of catchin increased the cell viability without any toxicity.