Poly(BETA-AMINO) ester based electrospun membranes with modulated degradation and release kinetics for potential wound dressing applications

Chronic wounds show no healing tendency over a period of up to 4 to 6 weeks despite any local treatment. These wounds present the persistence of the inflammatory stimulus and a high sensitivity to bacterial infection. Engineering innovative wound dressings is key to facilitating the wound treatment, reducing healing time, and preventing recurrent infections. In this context, this project focused on the design of electrospun bioactive membrane based on Poly(Beta-amino)ester polymers (PBAEs) loaded with antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, CFX) for potential wound dressing applications. First, two PBAE macromers of different lengths were synthesized from the reaction of isobutylamine with two polyethylene glycol diacrylates (PEGDA). Both synthesized macromers exhibited opposite properties in terms of hydrophobicity (one is hydrophobic whereas the other one is hydrophilic) and crystallinity (amorphous or semi-crystalline). Then, both compounds were successfully electrospun with polyethylene oxide (PEO) and subjected to UV-curing to induce crosslinking of PBAE macromer. The membrane properties were similar in terms of hydrophilicity and crystallinity to the respective PBAE compounds, and these properties influenced degradation rates and drug release profiles. Finally, the antibacterial activity of the released drug was assessed to validate the bioactive profile of the membrane regarding bacterial infection.