PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTI INFLAMMATORY POTENTIAL OF BIOCOMPATIBLE STARCH/PVA/ CUO ELECTROSPUN NANOSCAFFOLDS FROM SARGASSUM MUTICUM (BROWN MARINE MACROALGAE) EXTRACT

Abstract

This study presents the fabrication and characterization of biocompatible starch/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) electrospun nanoscaffolds incorporated with biogenic copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized using Sargassum muticum extract via an ultrasonic-assisted method. The synthesized CuO NPs exhibited a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 270 nm in UV-Vis spectroscopy, confirming nanoparticle formation. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis revealed characteristic functional groups, including O–H stretching (3277 cm⁻¹) and Cu–O vibrations (600 cm⁻¹), validating successful NP integration into the scaffold. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the monoclinic crystalline phase of CuO NPs (JCPDS 05-0661), while Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated a porous, fibrous scaffold structure with uniformly dispersed NPs. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated thermal stability up to 243°C, with a residual mass of 51.88%. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis showed an average NP size of 92.1 nm and a zeta potential of −12.62 mV, indicating moderate colloidal stability. Anti-inflammatory assays revealed that the starch/PVA/CuO-NP nanoscaffolds exhibited superior inhibition of protein denaturation (83.09% at 100 µg/mL) and xanthine oxidase activity (80.47% at 100 µg/mL) compared to free CuO NPs and algal extract, suggesting enhanced therapeutic efficacy due to synergistic effects. These findings highlight the potential of the developed nanoscaffolds as an advanced anti-inflammatory biomaterial for biomedical applications.