Lysozyme-loaded, electrospun chitosan-based nanofiber mats for wound healing

In this study, a blend mixture of chitosan-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (CS 2 wt%-EDTA) at a weight ratio of 30/70 and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution (10 wt%) was electrospun to produce fibrous mats with lysozyme (10, 20 and 30 wt%) used for wound healing. The morphology and diameter of the electrospun fiber mats with and without lysozyme were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The amount of lysozyme loaded in the nanofiber mats was measured by HPLC. The cell lysis activity of the lysozyme was investigated with Micrococcus lysodeikticus cells as a substrate. The wound healing activity was performed in vivo using male Wistar rats. The SEM images of all lysozyme-loaded fibers show a smooth fiber without beads with an average diameter of 143-209 nm. The amount of lysozyme loaded in the nanofiber mats was slightly decreased when the initial concentration of lysozyme was increased. The rapid lysozyme release from the nanofiber mats was obtained and is dependent on the lysozyme-loading amount. In animal wound healing, lysozyme loaded CS-EDTA nanofiber mats accelerated the rate of wound healing when compared to the controls (gauze). In conclusion, our experiments demonstrated that biomaterials composed of lysozyme loaded CS-EDTA nanofibers have a potential for wound healing. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.