In Vitro Assessment of Antibacterial Activity and Cytocompatibility of Quercetin-Containing PLGA Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Flavonoids, such as quercetin, have been reported to exhibit a wide range of biological activities related to their antioxidant capacity. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of quercetin on cell adhesion, and the viability and proliferation of KB epithelial cells. Quercetin- (1, 5 wt%)-containing poly (l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanofibrous scaffolds (PLGA/Q 1, PLGA/Q 5) were prepared by electrospinning technique and their antibacterial properties were examined. Two types of bacteria strains, Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP), were used to evaluate the antibacterial properties of the scaffolds. The results showed that the quercetin-containing PLGA nanofibrous scaffolds exhibited significant antibacterial effects against the two bacterial strains. KB epithelial cells were also used to evaluate the cytocompatibility of the scaffolds. From the results, it was found that the PLGA nanofibrous scaffolds with 1 wt% of quercetin had good cell compatibility. It is considered that the PLGA nanofibrous scaffolds with 1 wt% quercetin have potential to be used in tissue engineering.