Modified dextran as pH responsive electrospun fibres for dexpanthenol delivery in wound healing applications

Modified dextran has emerged as a promising biomaterial for drug delivery applications due to its tuneable degradation, and biocompatibility. This material is routinely used in the development of nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems; however, this promising modified polysaccharide is underexplored as a potential material for electrospinning. Our study explores the development of electrospun acetalated dextran fibres as potential scaffolds tailored for wound healing interventions. Here, we incorporate dexpanthenol as a model drug and investigate the pH responsive release of drug, demonstrating that acetalated dextran enables sustained and pH sensitive drug release in physiologically relevant conditions for healing or infected wounds. Mechanical testing showed that the fibres produced in this study are relatively weak (UTS of ~ 0.04–0.12 MPa) in comparison to native tissue and commercial dressings (UTS of 0.04–0.53 MPa), however they are promising candidates for blending with other polymers or for use within a dual or multilayer dressing system. Cytocompatibility assays using fibroblast cell lines in vitro indicated suitability of the scaffolds for biological applications with all formulations demonstrating greater than 80% viability. Overall, this work establishes modified dextran as a versatile platform for electrospun wound dressings, offering the potential for customisable structural, mechanical and therapeutic properties. These studies, with the incorporation of a model drug, support the continued investigation into inclusion of different therapeutics which can aid wound healing or further investigation of the described system using advanced in vitro or in vivo models for clinical translation.