Neomycin-loaded poly(styrene sulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSSA-MA)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) ion exchange nanofibers for wound dressing materials

In this study, poly(styrene sulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSSA-MA) blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was electrospun and then subjected to thermal crosslinking to produce PSSA-MA/PVA ion exchange nanofiber mats. The cationic drug neomycin (0.001, 0.01, and 0.1%, w/v) was loaded onto the cationic exchange fibers. The amount of neomycin loaded and released and the cytotoxicity of the fiber mats were analyzed. In vivo wound healing tests were also performed in Wistar rats. The results indicated that the diameters of the fibers were on the nanoscale (250 ± 21 nm). The ion exchange capacity (IEC) value and the percentage of water uptake were 2.19 ± 0.1 mequiv./g-dry fibers and 268 ± 15%, respectively. The loading capacity was increased upon increasing the neomycin concentration. An initial concentration of 0.1% (w/v) neomycin (F3) showed the highest loading capacity (65.7 mg/g-dry fibers). The neomycin-loaded nanofiber mats demonstrated satisfactory antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and an in vivo wound healing test revealed that these mats performed better than gauze and blank nanofiber mats in decreasing acute wound size during the first week after tissue damage. In conclusion, the antibacterial neomycin-loaded PSSA-MA/PVA cationic exchange nanofiber mats have the potential for use as wound dressing materials.