Hydrothermal Modification of Polyurethane Fibers Using Hyaluronic Acid and Silver Nanoparticles for Wound Healing

• Published in: Journal of polymers and the environment Vol. 32; no. 7; pp. 3159 - 3178
• Main Authors: Rather, Anjum Hamid, Khan, Rumysa Saleem, Wani, Taha Umair, Rafiq, Muheeb, Qureashi, Aaliya, Rather, Sami-ullah, Hemavathi, M., Jadhav, Arvind H., Majeed, Shafquat, Sheikh, Faheem A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.07.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antibacterial activity; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Bacterial diseases; Biocompatibility; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Coated fibers; Coatings; Degradability; E coli; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Fibers; Field emission microscopy; Fourier transforms; Functional groups; High temperature; Hyaluronic acid; Hydrothermal treatment; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Materials Science; Mechanical properties; Mineralization; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; Original Paper; Polymer Sciences; Polyurethane; Polyurethane resins; Scaffolds; Scanning electron microscopy; Silver; Thermal stability; Wound healing; Wound infection; Electrospinning; Cell viability; Hydrothermal treatment; Antibacterial; Hyaluronic acid
• ISSN: 1566-2543; 1572-8919
• DOI: 10.1007/s10924-023-03146-9

Different wounds take a while to heal, and the process is frequently accompanied by bacterial infection and scar formation. This study aimed to fabricate polyurethane (PU) fibers through electrospinning, utilizing a mixture of THF and DMF solvents in a 90:10 ratio. Subsequently, these fibers were coated with different concentrations of hyaluronic acid (HA) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) using the hydrothermal treatment to create biocompatible and antibacterial scaffolds applicable to wound management. Pristine samples served as a basis for comparison. Following high-temperature usage during the hydrothermal coating, the Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) results showed defect-free morphology. However, the fibers’ diameter significantly increased by layer of HA. In particular, the diameter of the PU fibers was 1.87 ± 1.1 µm, whereas the fibers with the maximum amount of HA (0.5%) had an enlargement of 4.43 ± 1.4 µm in fiber diameter. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy demonstrated the presence of distinctive functional groups, supporting the hypothesis that HA and Ag NPs were efficaciously coated on PU fibers. Moreover, HA-coated fibers improved hydrophilicity, mechanical strength, thermal stability, degradability, and biomineralization. Notably, the Ag-coated scaffolds exhibited antibacterial activity against E. coli and  S. aureus . The MTT assay, DAPI staining, and FE-SEM results after culturing HEK 293T cells have demonstrated the biocompatibility of the nanocomposite fibers. In other words, the developed HA and Ag NPs coated PU fibers by hydrothermal technique would be a futuristic method for promoting tissue healing and imparting antibacterial ability in curing skin wounds.