Combining 3D printing and electrospinning for preparation of pain-relieving wound-dressing materials

Pain is already known to cause delays in wound healing. Therefore, providing suitable therapeutic solutions for less painful wound healing should attract significantly more attention in the development of future novel wound care solutions. In this study, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac sodium (DCS) and the local anesthetic lidocaine (LID) were combined in wound-dressing materials prepared using two different techniques. We compared the release of the mentioned drugs from a 3D bioprinted carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based scaffold with their release from an electrospun CMC-based nano-mesh. As a well-defined and controlled drug release is of great importance for any material to be used in the clinics, we have put a lot of effort into a systematic evaluation of both prepared materials, using the two different techniques. For this purpose, we used different methods to characterize their physico–chemical, structural and morphological properties. Further, the influence of the respective preparation procedures were tested on the release profile and biocompatibility with human skin cells. Both prepared materials were proven biocompatible. We have also shown that the drug release of both incorporated drugs was affected significantly by the preparation method. The resulting release performances of the respective materials were shown to benefit the treatment of specific wounds. Finally, several advantageous properties could be achieved by combining both preparation techniques for the preparation of a single dressing.