Deferoxamine-loaded Janus electrospun nanofiber dressing with spatially designed structure for diabetic wound healing

Abstract

Diabetic wound treatment poses significant global challenges in clinical work and research, alternative treatment approaches need to be developed urgently. Exudate management and angiogenic function are critical to improve diabetic wound healing. In this work, a Janus bilayer electrospun dressing is fabricated via modified electrospinning technologies. The outer layer of dressing is hydrophilic deferoxamine (DFO)-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) random nanofiber, while the inner layer is hydrophobic PCL nanofiber with mesh-like structure and patterns, and the bilayer layers are fabricated via layer-by-layer assembly. The mechanical properties, wettability, and drug release performance of the Janus dressing were studied. Difference in wettability between the two layers enables excess biological fluid to drain away from the wound, and simultaneously trigger the cascade release of DFO in the outer layer. The in vitro data evidenced that the Janus dressing had good biocompatibility. The mesh-like inner surface is considered favorable for attachment and proliferation of fibroblast, and the controlled release of DFO significantly enhanced tube formation. In vivo results from a diabetic full-thickness cutaneous wound model showed that the Janus dressing created a unique microenvironment that accelerates the wound healing process through effective biofluid draining and stimulation of angiogenesis process. The findings indicated that the Janus dressing presented a potentially valuable method for the management and treatment of diabetic wound in clinical applications.

Keywords

• Diabetic wound
• Electrospinning
• Biofluid draining
• Angiogenesis
• Deferoxamine