Bacterial infections have been increasingly recognized as the major reason for the failure of tissue engineering scaffolds. Therefore, there is a need for novel and multifunctional biomaterials that not only enhance tissue regeneration but also can combat infections. An antibacterial and bioactive scaffold was fabricated in this study by incorporation of honey and a nitric oxide (NO) donor, S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP), into polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibers using a single-jet electrospinning method. The morphology of the prepared nanofibers was observed using a scanning electron microscope. PLA/honey/SNAP (PLA/HN/SNAP) nanofibers had an average diameter of 624.92 ± 137.69 nm and showed a sustained release of NO for 48 h. The scaffolds were characterized for their chemical composition via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Moreover, the tensile properties of nanofibers along with their wettability, water retention ability, and water vapor transmission rate were evaluated. The results of antibacterial studies revealed that the synergistic combination of honey and SNAP significantly reduced the viability of Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram negative Escherichia coli. In addition, qualitative and quantitative 3T3 fibroblast cell culturing experiments proved that the PLA/HN/SNAP scaffolds supported better cell attachment and proliferation compared to PLA. The promising results obtained in this study indicate that PLA/HN/SNAP nanofibrous scaffolds have great potential for tissue engineering applications.
Keywords: antimicrobial; electrospun nanofiber; honey; nitric oxide; tissue engineering.