Electrospun Poly(ε-caprolactone)/Gelatin Nanofibrous Mat Containing Selenium as a Potential Wound Dressing Material: In Vitro and In Vivo Study

In the current study, selenium particles were loaded into poly(epsilon-caprolactone)/gelatin nanofibrous matrices in order to fabricate a potential wound dressing. The mats were produced by electrospinning of poly(epsilon-caprolactone)/Gelatin (1:1 (w/w)) solution supplemented with 1 and 10 % (w/v) of selenium particles. Prepared wound dressings were investigated regarding their morphology, mechanical properties, surface wettability, water-uptake capacity, water vapor permeability, porosity, blood compatibility, microbial penetration test and cellular response. Dressings containing 1 % and 10 % selenium and selenium free mats were chosen to treat the full-thickness excisional wounds in Wistar rats. The study revealed that after 14 days, the wound closure of the mat containing 1 % selenium was about 95.5 +/- 6.38 % while wound closure of the negative control group was about 48.83 +/- 4.03 %. Our results showed the capability of nanofibrous containing selenium for successful wound treatment.