Electrospun poly(L-lactic acid)-co-poly(ε-caprolactone) nanofibres containing silver nanoparticles for skin-tissue engineering

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and silver ions (Ag⁺) show growth-inhibitory activity against microorganisms and have been used for decades as antibacterial agents in various fields. To fabricate a nanofibrous scaffold which is antibacterial against bacteria and non-toxic to cells, we electrospun composite poly(L-lactic acid)-co-poly(ε-caprolactone) nanofibres containing silver nanoparticles (PLLCL-AgNPs) with different concentrations (0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 wt%) of silver nitrate (AgNO₃) in PLLCL. The diameters of the electro-spun PLLCL-AgNPs nanofibres decreased with the increase of AgNO ₃ concentration in PLLCL solutions. Human skin fibroblasts cultured on the scaffolds showed that the PLLCL nanofibres containing lesser amounts of AgNPs (0.25 wt%) had better cell proliferation and retained the cell morphology similar to the phenotype observed on tissue culture plates (control). The antibacterial activity of AgNPs in PLLCL nanofibres was investigated against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica and the antimicrobial activity was found to increase with the increasing concentration of nanoparticles present in the scaffold. Based on our studies, we propose that PLLCL nanofibres containing 0.25 wt% AgNO₃ or PLLCL-Ag(25), favors cell proliferation and inhibits bacteria and could be a suitable substrate for wound healing.