Co-Axial Fibers with Janus-Structured Sheaths by Electrospinning Release Corn Peptides for Wound Healing

Abstract

Delayed wound healing in skin is strongly correlated with excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Corn peptides (CPs) have robust antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, the study sought to evaluate the wound healing effect of topical application of CPs embedded in wound dressings fabricated using the coaxial electrospinning technique. A special structure, which was a co-axial structure with a Janus-structured sheath, was displayed on the fiber. The fibers exhibited stable thermal properties, suitable tensile properties, high wettability, excellent biocompatibility, and free radical scavenging capability. Additionally, a first-order release profile of CPs from the fibers showed that approximately 92% of the drug was released within 80 min. In vivo experiments indicated that CPs-loaded fibrous membranes significantly improved the wound healing ratio, thickened the re-epithelialization layer, enhanced fibroblast proliferation, and increased the production of regenerated hair follicles and capillaries. Overall, it is promising that the combination of CPs and fibrous membranes with special structures applies in skin tissue engineering to promote wound repair.

Keywords: Janus; antioxidant; co-axial; corn peptides (CPs); electrospinning; wound healing.