The Electrospun Fibrous Membrane Containing Pomegranate Seed Extract/Polyvinyl Alcohol Improves Infectious Wound Healing in Wistar Rats

With increasing antibiotic resistance, control of wound infection using alternative compounds has been considered. Electrospun nanofibers have remarkable characteristics for tissue engineering due to their mainly morphological similarity to the natural extracellular matrix which makes them an ideal candidate for wound dressings. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial effects of pomegranate seed extract (PSE) incorporated electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on staphylococcus aureus-infected surgical wounds. After preparing the hydroalcoholic pomegranate seed extract, electrospun PVA/PSE nanofibrous mats were fabricated using the electrospinning method. The morphological and structural properties of the fabricated mats were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Microbial and histopathological assessments were performed on 60 male Wistar rats. The animals were divided into four groups, and the wounds in each group were covered with PVA/ PSE, nitrofurazone, normal saline, and PVA wound dressings. The dressings were changed once every two days. Microbial and histopathological assessments were carried out on days 7, 14, and 21 after the infection. The MIC of PSE was 16 mg/ml and the bacterial count on day 7 in the PVA/PSE and nitrofurazone group was significantly lower than the two groups of control and PVA nanofibers (P < 0.05). The groups treated with nitrofurazone and PVA/PSE showed better wound size reduction than the control groups and appropriate healing progression was observed in the groups of PVA/PSE and nitrofurazone. The results revealed that PVA/PSE possessed high antimicrobial potential and improved re-epithelization and collagen deposition as well as nitrofurazone in the course of treatment. Therefore, it may be considered a promising alternative for clinical administration.