Innovation in microbial bioactive materials: electrospun ectoine/ε-PL/PVA fiber dressing as a bioactive and hemocompatible material with potential for wound healing applications

Abstract

Bioactive fibers are innovative natural therapeutics, which are capable of mimicking the body's biological environment to accelerate healing, fight infections, and revolutionize regenerative medicine with extraordinary precision and effectiveness. In this study, we produced ectoine and epsilon-poly-L-lysine using Halomonas elongata and Streptomyces albulus, respectively, and utilized these compounds to fabricate ectoine/epsilon-poly-L-lysine/polyvinyl alcohol fibers via electrospinning for the development of a multifunctional wound dressing. The physicochemical properties of the biofibers were characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Additionally, their antibacterial, antibiofilm, antioxidant, and cytotoxic effects were evaluated. The potential of these biofibers as wound dressings was further assessed through hemocompatibility testing, in vitro scratch assay, and gene expression analysis during in vitro scratch-induced gap closure by qRT-PCR on L929 fibroblast cell cultures. The results of this study confirmed the fabrication of smooth, regular, and bead-free microfibers with a size of 0.8 ± 0.157 µm. These biofibers also exhibited significant biological activity without any toxicity or blood incompatibility. Finally, the induction of cell migration and the increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β) demonstrate the potential of this biofiber as a bioactive wound dressing. The results of this study indicate the promising potential of ectoine/epsilon-poly-L-lysine/polyvinyl alcohol biofiber as bioactive, hemocompatible, and multifunctional wound dressings for advanced biomedical applications.