Silver Nanostructure-Decorated Electrospun Polycaprolactone Fibers as a Potential Wound Dressing Material

Abstract

Medical complications associated with wounds result in significant issues that incur billions of dollars in global costs. Consequently, the development of wound dressing materials that are both cost-effective and efficient is becoming increasingly important. This study introduces the concept of utilizing polydopamine (PDA)-assisted silver nanoparticle (AgNP) decoration on polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun nanofiber (NF) membranes as a robust wound dressing material. The hydrophobicity of PCL NFs was substantially reduced by the PDA layer, which also improved cell adhesion and exhibited tunable antibacterial activity. This adaptable method enabled the precise regulation of the number density and morphology of decorated AgNPs. The morphology, deposition procedure, and content of the AgNPs partially influenced the ultimate bioactivity of the material. We believe that the NF@PDA@AgNP systems will provide unique benefits as an optimal wound dressing material due to their biodegradability, high antibacterial activity, and minimal cytotoxicity.