Fabrication and characterization of chitosan/polyethylene oxide/Arctium lappa L. extract/graphene oxide nanofibrous scaffold for wound healing purposes

Motahhary, Hossein; Montazeri, Arash; Shemshadi, Rasoul; Rastegar, Hossein; Navaei Ardeh, Dehghan

doi:10.30502/jhhhm.2025.504496.1103

Fabrication and characterization of chitosan/polyethylene oxide/Arctium lappa L. extract/graphene oxide nanofibrous scaffold for wound healing purposes

Document Type : Original

Authors

Hossein Motahhary ¹

Arash Montazeri ¹

Rasoul Shemshadi ²

Hossein Rastegar ³

Dehghan Navaei Ardeh ⁴

¹ Department of Nanotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

² Department of Chemical Industry, National University of Skills (NUS), Tehran, Iran.

³ Halal Research Center of IRI., Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.

⁴ Biomedical Engineering Biomaterials, Faculty of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Semnan University, Semnan.

10.30502/jhhhm.2025.504496.1103

Abstract

Background and Objective: Due to the cell affinity of chitosan (CS), the hydrophilicity of polyethylene oxide (PEO), and the antibacterial activity of plant-derived compounds such as Arctium lappa L. (A. lappa) extract, a CS/PEO/A. lappa nanofiber reinforced with graphene oxide (GO) can be extensively used as wound healing dressings for skin tissue regeneration. Therefore, in this study, CS/PEO nanofibrous scaffolds containing different concentrations of extract and GO were fabricated using the electrospinning method.
Materials and Methods: The CS/PEO scaffolds with a weight ratio of 1:2, containing different concentrations of A. lappa extract (15, 25, and 35% w/w), were fabricated using the electrospinning method. The optimal concentration of extract was 25% w/w based on the nanofibers' average diameter and its lower standard deviation. Then, 0.5 and 1% w/w of GO was added to the optimal solution of CS/PEO/A. lappa extract. The scaffolds were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and antibacterial evaluation.
Results and Conclusion: FE-SEM studies revealed that smooth, uniform, and defect-free electrospun nanofiber scaffolds were obtained between the average diameter of 226.61 ±14 and 643 ±152 nm. By addition of GO 1% w/w to CS/PEO/A. lappa 25% w/w, gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were better inhibited than gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). We concluded that incorporation of A. lappa extract and GO into CS/PEO nanofiber scaffold could improve its antibacterial and structural properties, making it suitable for potential biomedical applications.

Keywords

Antibacterial activity

Arctium lappa L. extract

Chitosan-polyethylene oxide nanofiber

Electrospinning

Graphen oxide

Subjects