Sustained release of phenytoin from jellyfish collagen-based electrospun nanofibers: A wound dressing candidate with promising cell compatibility

In this study, a wound dressing composed of nanofibers was fabricated to mimic the properties of the extra-cellular matrix using collagen extracted from Persian Gulf jellyfish (Catostylus mosaicus). The enzymatic extraction using pepsin yielded 14.58 % +/- 0.19 %, 9.98 times more efficient than the acidic method. Characterization revealed that the extracted collagen is type I, featuring amide bands in its structure and a denaturation temperature of 28.6 degrees C. Nanofibers were produced from polycaprolactone (PCL), with the addition of collagen (C) and phenytoin (P) to enhance wound healing. The ratio of PCL to collagen and the electrospinning parameters were optimized using response to produce optimal nanofibers (PCL-C-P ONFs) that facilitate sustained drug release over two days. The predicted drug release from PCL-C-P ONFs showed a relative inaccuracy of 1.4 % compared to the experimental results after four days. Incorporating collagen and phenytoin into the nanofibers enhanced their swelling properties, porosity, and hydrophilicity while reducing density. FTIR spectroscopy and XRD analyses confirmed the successful loading of both the collagen and the drug. Furthermore, FESEM and thermogravimetric analysis revealed a bead-free network with an average fiber diameter of 95 nm and an initial decomposition temperature of 280 degrees C. Chitosan (Chi) was added as a shell layer (PCL-C-P Chi-CSNFs) to improve the controlled release of phenytoin. TEM and FESEM experiments confirmed the core-shell structure, with a shell thickness of 39 +/- 16 nm and a core diameter of 92 +/- 21 nm. The chitosan shell increased porosity and swelling while enhancing the controlled release of phenytoin over 85 h compared to PCL-C-P ONFs and PCL-C-P-Chi NFs. Cytotoxicity assessments showed that PCL-C-P ONFs and PCL-C-P Chi-CSNFs are non-toxic, and improved drug release increases cell viability in the core-shell NFs dressings.