Fabrication and characteristic of Curcumin-loaded Poly(lactic acid) nanofiber mat and its potential use as wound healing materials

Curcumin (Cur), extracted from the Curcuma longa L. plant, is well known for its anti–tumor, anti–oxidant, anti–inflammatory, anti–bacterial, wound healing and anti–scaring properties. A Cur–loaded poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofiber mat were obtained by electrospining a mixture of PLA and Cur solution in blend of chloroform and DMAc solvent. Field Emission Scanning Electron microscopy (FE–SEM) images showed a smooth morphology of resulted fibers with diameter in range of 300 and 500 nm. Herein, using the PLA nanofibers as a support and carrier for Cur could give rise to a large surface area that could improve the capability of treatment of Cur loaded. The potential use of cur‐loaded PLA nanofiber mat as wound healing materials was evaluated by 3T3‐L1 cell proliferation and attachment on the nanofiber mat. The cell viability slightly increased from 1 to 3 days and significantly increased in 5 days, indicating that the Cur‐loaded PLA nanofibers are non‐toxic to 3T3‐L1 cells. SEM observation showed the cells could spread and partly enmesh under fibers layer. In particularly, we observed faster wound closure of punch wounds in curcumin‐treated animals in comparison with untreated controls, suggesting that the PLA/Cur nanofibers could be a promising candidate to be used as wound healing materials.