Electrospun rutin-loaded cellulose nanocrystals/polylactic acid/pluronic nanofibers with enhanced hydrophilicity, sustained release, and antioxidant activity for wound dressings

Chronic wounds require bioactive dressings that protect the wound site while promoting a suitable healing environment, regulating oxidative stress, and enabling sustained delivery of therapeutic agents. Although electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) fibers are attractive for wound dressing applications because of their biodegradability and extracellular matrix-mimicking structure, their intrinsic hydrophobicity limits bioactivity and fluid management. In this study, rutin-loaded cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs)/PLA/Pluronic P123 composite nanofibers were developed via electrospinning to enhance hydrophilicity and achieve sustained antioxidant release. The incorporation of CNCs and P123 significantly improved the wettability of PLA fibers, transforming the originally hydrophobic fibrous surface into a hydrophilic platform. Rutin incorporation partially restored the tensile performance of the composite fibers by improving both tensile strength and elongation at break. The fibers exhibited biphasic rutin release, with an initial burst release up to 25% within 1 h, followed by sustained release up to 65% over 48 h. Release kinetics were predominantly governed by diffusion-controlled behavior according to the Korsmeyer–Peppas model. Furthermore, the fibers retained strong antioxidant activity, showing nearly 90% DPPH radical-scavenging activity, and demonstrated non-cytotoxicity toward human dermal fibroblasts. These findings suggest that the developed RUT-CNCs/PLA/P123 fibers are promising bioactive wound dressing materials with improved hydrophilicity, sustained release capability, antioxidant activity, and cytocompatibility.