Evaluation of physicochemical properties, release kinetics, and in vitro/in vivo wound healing activity of the electrospun nanofibres loaded with the natural antioxidant oil from Pistacia atlantica

Herbal medicine is an extraordinary source of bioactive compounds, and developing them can aid in the wound healing process. This study focuses on the optimal production of nanofibres containing an effective herbal extract. The nanofibres were produced by electrospinning a polymer solution containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (ALG) with Pistacia atlantica oil (PAO) (0, 1.5%, and 2.5% (w/v)). The PAO is rich in different biological properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. The addition of 1.5% (w/v) PAO to PVA/ALG solutions increased surface tension and conductivity by 3.5% and 3.86%, respectively. Besides, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the diameter of the nano-fibres increased from 191 nm +/- 15 nm-259 nm +/- 10 nm. According to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results, the nanofibres loaded with 1.5% (w/v) PAO exhibited higher thermal stability compared to PVA/ALG nanofibres without PAO. Based on the in vitro drug release experiments, the PAO release from nanofibres fol-lowed the Korsmeyer-Peppas model and the pseudo-Fickian mechanism. Cell culture and cytotoxicity assay re-sults illustrated that the PAO-loaded nanofibres had non-cytotoxic effects against L-929 cells with suitable fibroblast cell proliferation and cell viability. Animal test results showed that the PAO-loaded nanofibres significantly enhanced wound closure by 92.07% compared to PAO-unloaded nanofibres (p < 0.02). The wound healing ability of PAO was also confirmed by the histopathological findings, with PAO increasing re-epithelization and successfully attenuating tissue inflammation. Overall, this study introduces a new type of wound dressing containing PAO, a wound healing stimulant with excellent properties such as uniform structure, antibacterial activity, and breathability. Consequently, the results suggest that the investigated nanofibres may merit being considered as an ideal wound dressing for future clinical investigations into wound therapy and regeneration.