Herbal drug incorporated antibacterial nanofibrous mat fabricated by electrospinning: An excellent matrix for wound dressings

Nano‐components and nano‐systems for health care and medical applications are the focus of many research projects worldwide. Nanofibrous membranes are highly soft materials with high surface‐to‐volume ratios, and therefore can serve as excellent carriers for therapeutic agents that are antibacterial or accelerate wound healing. PCL/PVP Nanofiber mat containing chloroform: methanol (4:1) crude bark extract of Tecomella undulata, a medicinal plant widely known for its traditional medical applications including its wound healing ability, were prepared and evaluated for their antibacterial properties. With good drug stability and high drug‐loading efficacy, the incorporation of herbal extract in the polymer media did not appear to influence the morphology of the resulting fibers, as both the drug‐free and the drug‐loaded nanofibers remained unaltered, microscopically. Activity was tested against standard strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa MTCC 2297, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 933, Escherichia coli (IP‐406006). Extract loaded PCL/PVP nanofiber mat were able to inhibit the growth of the bacterial strains which indicate that it could act not only as a drug delivery system but also in the treatment of wound healing or dermal bacterial infections thereby proving a potential application for use as a wound dressing. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011