Spectroscopic Characterization of a Polycaprolactone-Chitosan Electrospun Scaffold Modified with Photocatalytic TiO2 Nanoparticles for Improved Wound Healing: A Complete In Vivo Evaluation

In the current study, we hypothesized that the electrospun scaffold chitosan (CS)/polycaprolactone (PCL)/titanium dioxide (TiO2) could be prepared by combining CS, PCL, and TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) using an electrospinning technique for wound dressing applications. The CS/PCL/TiO2 electrospun scaffold was prepared and characterized by UV-Vis, SEM, TEM, FTIR, and XRD analyses. Based on the UV-Vis analysis, the incorporation of CS/PCL on the surface of TiO2 NPs affected their optical properties. Further, CS/PCL and CS/PCL/TiO2 were found to have uniform distribution in fiber diameter with no bead morphology, as confirmed by SEM. The XRD spectrum of the CS/PCL/TiO2 revealed that the TiO2 NPs were adequately mixed with the CS/PCL solution, exhibiting the planes of TiO2 peaks (112), (105), (204), (116), and (301), which aligned well with the lattice structure. The antibacterial activity of CS/PCL/TiO2 against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was evaluated using the zone of inhibition method. By testing the cytocompatibility of CS/PCL/TiO2 in vitro, this dressing was found to have a less toxic nature. In addition, In Vivo wound healing studies showed that the dressing prepared with the CS/PCL/TiO2 electrospun scaffold improved wound healing compared to that prepared with CS/PCL alone. The above results strongly support the use of CS/PCL/TiO2 electrospun scaffold as an effective dressing for wound healing.