Titanium dioxide nanowires and reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite coated gellan gum film for drug delivery to enhance skin regeneration

This study aimed to fabricate a titanium dioxide nanowires and reduced graphene oxide (TiO(2)NWs+RGO) nanocomposite coated with gellan gum film (TiO(2)NWs+RGO@GG) for drug delivery to enhance wound healing applications. First, the TiO(2)NWs+RGO nanocomposite was synthesised using a single-step hydrothermal method. Subsequently, a comprehensive physicochemical characterization was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). The characteristic peak for Ti-O-Ti bonds was observed in the FTIR spectrum between 500 and 850 cm(-1). XRD analysis confirmed the presence of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) through the characteristic of aromatic RGO at 2theta of similar to 25 degrees. Notably, the intensity of the RGO peak was reduced in the TiO(2)NWs@RGO composite, indicating successful oxygen functional group reduction. SEM analysis revealed an average diameter of approximately 12.26 +/- 1.83 nm for the TiO2 nanowires within the composite. Antioxidant activity of the synthesised TiO(2)NWs+RGO (1:0.5) nanocomposite shows the highest antioxidant activity by DPPH scavenging testing. It was observed that TiO(2)NWs+RGO@GG film exhibited good drug release properties, with ibuprofen being released over a duration of 24 hours. The in vitro scratch assays demonstrated that the TiO(2)NWs+RGO@GG promotes cell proliferation and migration, facilitating wound closure within 24 hours. Collectively, these findings suggest that the TiO(2)NWs+RGO@GG film possess promising properties for wound healing applications.