FABRICATION OF MULTISCALE STARCH/PVA/CaO ELECTROSPUN NANOSCAFFOLDS FROM Sargassum ilicifolium (BROWN MARINE MACROALGAE) EXTRACT: PHYSIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND WOUND HEALING ASSESSMENT ON HaCaT CELLS

Abstract

The fabrication of bioactive electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds is an effective approach to promote the healing of skin wounds as well as the adhesion‚ proliferation and regeneration of cells and tissues by imitating the microenvironment of ECM․ Multiscale starch/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/calcium oxide (CaO) electrospun nanoscaffolds containing Sargassum ilicifolium extract were fabricated by electrospinning for potential application in wound healing․ Sargassum ilicifolium is a brown marine macroalga that is rich in natural polysaccharides‚ polyphenols‚ flavonoids‚ and antioxidant materials that have antimicrobial‚ anti-inflammatory‚ and tissue-regenerative properties․ The fabricated nanoscaffolds were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM)‚ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)‚ X-ray diffraction (XRD)‚ ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy‚ thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)‚ differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)‚ contact angle‚ tensile strength‚ swelling and degradation to investigate the morphology‚ chemical reactivity‚ crystallinity‚ thermal stability‚ hydrophilicity‚ tensile strength‚ swelling ratio and biodegradation of the fabricated nanoscaffolds․ The morphology of the bead-free nanofibers on the continuous porous structure was observed through SEM․ The FTIR analysis indicated successful immobilization of marine extract and CaO into starch/PVA composite scaffolds․ XRD analysis indicated semi-crystalline nature of the composite scaffold‚ while thermal studies demonstrated that CaO nanoparticle reinforcement improved the thermal stability of the scaffold․ The biological performance of prepared scaffolds was studied by cytocompatibility test and in vitro scratch wound healing assay by HaCaT cells․ Obtained results revealed that composite nanoscaffolds supported excellent cell viability․ Migration of keratinocytes was considerably superior in composite nanoscaffolds as compared to control group indicating better wound closure․