Development of curcumin-loaded cellulose acetate nanofiber wound dressing by electrospinning method

These days, polymeric nanofiber wound dressings are quite popular. These polymers, which have biocompatible and biodegradable properties, are used to obtain nanofiber wound dressings through various methods. In this thesis, nanofiber wound dressing was obtained from cellulose acetate (CA) polymer, which is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, by electrospinning method. Cellulose acetate is a cellulose-derived polymer that is non-degradable, non-damaging, processable, and has good dielectric properties. In this study, nanofibers were obtained by electrospinning from cellulose acetate polymer with a certain concentration ( 17\% (w/v)) dissolved in the DMF: Acetone: Ethanol solvent system for use as a wound dressing. To obtain bead-free nanofibers, the electrospinning parameters were optimized to a solution flow rate of 0.7 mL/hr, a voltage of 24 kV, and a working distance of 15 cm. Curcumin (Cur) extracted from turmeric powder was loaded into the obtained cellulose acetate nanofibers at specific concentrations (0.1\%, 0.3\%, and 0.5\% (w/v)). Curcumin, known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties, plays an important role in the wound healing process. In conclusion, nanofiber structures loaded with curcumin at different concentrations were successfully produced from cellulose acetate polymer using the electrospinning method. The characterization of the obtained nanofiber structures was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and inverted microscopy. FTIR analysis was used to examine the chemical structure of curcumin extracted from turmeric, the cellulose acetate and curcumin-loaded cellulose acetate nanofiber structures. SEM and inverted microscope analyses showed that the nanofiber structures had a bead-free and uniform morphology. Additionally, in vitro curcumin release studies and cell viability tests were conducted to observe the biological activity of curcumin. In vitro curcumin release studies were conducted in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). To create curcumin release profiles, concentration calculations of curcumin were performed using UV spectroscopy. Analysis were showed that curcumin release was controlled and continuous. Cytotoxicity evaluation of curcumin-loaded nanofiber constructs against L929 mouse fibroblast cells was performed by MTT assay. MTT test results were showed that 0.3\% and 0.5\% (w/v) curcumin loaded nanofibers were increased cell viability for short-term use. It was observed that the 0.1\% (w/v) curcumin loaded nanofiber samples could not provide cell viability after the first 30 minutes. Therefore, 0.1\% (w/v) curcumin loaded nanofiber can be developed for short-term face mask use applications. As a result of these evaluations, it can be said that 0.3\% (w/v) and 0.5\% (w/v) curcumin loaded nanofibers are suitable for use as a wound dressing.