Wound dressings produced by electrospinning exhibit a fibrous structure close to the one of the extracellular matrix of the skin. In this article, electrospinning was used to fabricate fiber
mats based on the well-known
biopolymers poly(ɛ-
caprolactone) (PCL) and
methylcellulose (MC) using benign
solvents. The blend fiber
mats were cross-linked using Manuka honey and additionally used as a biodegradable platform to deliver bioactive glass particles. It was hypothesized that a dual
therapeutic effect can be achieved by combining Manuka honey and bioactive glass. Morphological and chemical examinations confirmed the successful production of submicrometric PCL-MC fiber
mats containing Manuka honey and bioactive glass particles. The multifunctional fiber
mats exhibited improved wettability and suitable mechanical properties (ultimate tensile strength of 3-5 MPa). By performing dissolution tests using simulated body fluid, the improved bioactivity of the fiber
mats by the addition of bioactive glass was confirmed. Additionally, cell biology tests using human dermal fibroblasts and human keratinocytes-like HaCaT cells showed the potential of the fabricated composite fiber
mats to be used as
wound dressing, specially due to the ability to support
wound closure influenced by the presence of bioactive glass. Moreover, based on the results of the antibacterial tests, it is apparent that an optimization of the electrospun fiber
mats is required to develop suitable
wound dressing for the treatment of infected
wounds.