Potential investigation of poly (lactic acid)–curcumin–titanium dioxide nanofibers as bioactive wound dressings: characterization and cellular assessments

This study was directed to prepare poly (lactic acid) curcumin (Cur)-based nanofibers using the electrospinning method and their evaluation potentially in the presence of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles as bioactive wound dressings. The interactions between components, crystallinity nature, and presence of Cur-TiO₂ in the prepared nanofibers were demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy images revealed that the existence of Cur-TiO₂ in the system caused a decrease in the nanofiber diameters from 264 ± 29 to 210 ± 18 nm, and the significant influence of TiO₂ on the hydrophilicity of nanofibers was proved by the water contact angle test. Based on the cytotoxicity studies, TiO₂-containing nanofibers were biocompatible and did not reduce the viability of the cultured fibroblast cells. Moreover, it was found that the cell proliferation and level of cell adhesion increased in the presence of Cur-TiO₂, and the highest amount of cell growth occurred on scaffolds containing TiO₂, according to fluorescent staining. Finally, the antibacterial activities of the samples against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, named Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively, were analyzed, which confirmed that the addition of Cur-TiO₂ caused bacterial resistance, resulting in their desired potential for being employed in wound dressing applications.