Electrospun PVA nanoscaffolds associated with propolis nanoparticles with wound healing activity

Tissue engineering and nanotechnology have developed polymeric nanofibrous scaffolds for tissue regeneration. Propolis is a featured natural product due to its biological properties, including enhancement of the wound healing process. This study developed a polymeric nanofibrous wound dressing of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and propolis, and evaluated both in vitro and in vivo its potential in the wound healing process. The optimization of the experimental conditions was performed based on the evaluation of electrospinning process stability and morphology of the resulting nanofibers. The resulting scaffolds were evaluated through cell culture studies, using murine NIH/3T3 fibroblasts as study model, and then in vivo in a diabetic non-contractile wound healing model. PVA scaffolds associated with nanoparticles showed an adequate fiber morphology and did not present any cytotoxicity to fibroblasts in vitro. Furthermore, PVA scaffold with propolis nanoparticles showed the best wound closure rate (68%) after 7 days in comparison with treated (54%) and untreated controls (20%). Withal, preliminary results showed that PVA scaffold associated with propolis nanoparticles has potential to be applied in tissue regeneration. Furthermore, this work features as innovation the development of a nanoscaffold/nanoparticles system, which can be used not only for propolis, but for any natural extract, especially for those insoluble in water.