Rotary jet-spun curcumin-loaded poly L-lactic acid membranes for wound-healing applications

Polymeric membranes are good alternatives to conventional dressings for wound-healing applications, owing to their high porosity and surface area. Incorporation of bioactive particles into membranes can improve therapeutic outcomes of dressings. Curcumin has been reported as a bioactive particle with antioxidant and wound-healing potential, as well as therapeutic action against diabetes, inflammation, and cancer. However, few techniques have been explored to efficiently produce curcumin-incorporated dressings on a large scale. Rotary jet spinning (RJS) is a membrane processing technique that has gained attention for its high production rate of fibers. In this study, we aimed to produce and characterize poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)-based RJS membranes incorporated with curcumin particles (PLLA-Curc) for wound-treatment suitability. We produced membranes with fiber diameters less than 10 μm. The membranes demonstrated thermal stability, a hydrophobic profile, adequate mechanical resistance for topical application, low degradation rates, and a marked release of curcumin over 6 h, followed by a continuous-release profile. In addition, PLLA and PLLA-Curc membranes showed cytocompatibility with fibroblasts. In summary, RJS is an efficient technique to obtain membranes incorporated with curcumin that have potential for wound treatment as non-adherent topical dressings.