New polylactic acid/ cellulose acetate-based antimicrobial interactive single dose nanofibrous wound dressing mats

New single dose interactive extracellular matrix (ECM) mimicking nanofibrous wound dressings based on polylactic acid (PLA) and cellulose acetate (CA) were developed, characterized and investigated for wound treatment. The antimicrobial agent, thymoquinone (TQ) was selected and incorporated into the scaffolds for preventing common clinical infections, and to accelerate the rate of wound closure and re-epithelialization. The newly fabricated TQ-loaded PLA/CA wound dressings offered many advantages such as mimicking the ECM via the 3D nanofibrous structure, and promoted the cell proliferation due to the hydrophilicity and bioactivity of CA. The wound dressings also prevented the bacterial infection in the early stages due to presence of TQ, and maintained the minimum possible bacterial load in the wound area through the sustained release of the drug for 9 days. In vivo assessment demonstrated that TQ-loaded PLA: CA (7:3) scaffolds significantly promoted the wound healing process by increasing re-epithelialization and controlling the formation of granulation tissue. The obtained results suggest that the developed TQ-loaded PLA/CA nanofibrous mats could be ideal for wound dressing applications.