Fabricating modified cotton wound dressing via exopolysaccharide-incorporated marine collagen nanofibers

One of the challenges in regenerative medicine is the design and production of advanced wound dressings that are simple to use. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have focused their research efforts on creating natural biomaterials for wound healing. Biomaterials derived from aquatic species and their waste or by-products are deemed renewable biosources, offering potential applications in pharmacology, biomedicine, and other fields due to their high volatility and energy efficiency. This research combines the strong mechanical stability of cotton gauze and the outstanding biocompatibility of exopolysaccharide(EPS)-incorporated marine collagen nanofibers to fabricate an easily applicable wound healing scaffold. In the current study, collagen-EPS nanofibers were successfully electrospun on a cotton gauze (Col/EPS-Cotton) wound dressing. Then, several techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, hydrophilicity, and tensile properties were performed to characterize the scaffolds. The in vitro properties were then evaluated using degradation, cell viability, and cell adhesion tests. The results showed that the scaffold is degradable over fourteen days and samples containing exopolysaccharide showed higher biocompatibility. Finally, in vivo testing on animal models was undertaken to establish that the obtained scaffolds could accelerate wound regeneration.