Evaluation of Terminalia arjuna loaded in surfactant modified polycaprolactone nanofiber as an infection resistant matrix

Electrospinning of polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofiber (NF) was carried out with bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) and Triton X 100 (TX 100) surfactants. PCL and surfactant concentration were optimized to get fine NF. The morphological study of the NF was carried out by scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscopy. The structural changes were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, and its elemental mapping was analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray mapping. The addition of surfactants altered the morphology of PCL NFs and improved their physiochemical properties, such as wettability, roughness and crystallinity. Among these two surfactants, AOT gave a better NF structure. In the presence of AOT, the hydroalcoholic extract of Terminalia arjuna (TA) was incorporated as the herbal drug, and antibacterial behavior against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria was monitored. The novelty of this work was in the use of a surfactant as a cospinning agent for dual purposes in a single step. The surfactant changed the hydrophobic PCL into a superhydrophilic matrix and incorporated herbal extract to develop an infection-resistance nanofiber. The developed PCL/TA nanofiber showed excellent potential as an antimicrobial agent with antioxidant properties.