Honey Chitosan Nanofibers Loaded With Natural Antimicrobials for Wound Dressing Applications Wesam Awad and Hassan M. Azzazy Novel Diagnostics & Therapeutics, YJ-Science & Technology Research Center, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo, Egypt 11835 Wesam Awad MSC; YJ PhD candidate Wesamawad@aucegypt.edu Conclusion Honey/Chitosan/PVA nanofibers (30%:3.5%:7%) loaded with two plant extracts were developed. The first natural extract (NE-1) was obtained from a traditional plant well known for its enhanced antibacterial property. Whereas, the second natural extract (NE-2) was obtained from a wild herb that was collected from the mountains of Sinai. Remarkably, it was observed that the Honey/Chitosan/PVA nanofibers loaded with the natural extracts exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA compared to the commercial AquaCell Silver wound dressing. The PVA/Chitosan/Honey loaded with NE-1 and NE-1& NE-2 allowed complete inhibition of S.aureus whereas the AquaCell silver allowed the growth of 103 CFU. Most importantly, it was observed that the PV/Chitosan/Honey nanofibers loaded with NE-1 & NE-2 allowed enhanced inhibition of MRSA resistant strain compared to the commercial AquaCell silver wound dressing. Moreover, animal study revealed that the plant extract loaded Honey/Chitosan/PVA nanofibers showed improved wound healing of a full excisional 5mm wound on mice within 15 days compared to 18 days for the control. No cytotoxicity was recorded for the developed nanofibers on cultured fibroblasts. In conclusion, novel, antimicrobial, biocompatible naturally based nanofibrous wound dressing was developed with enhanced antibacterial activity against RESISTANT BACTERIAL strains as well as enhanced wound healing ability and with no cytototoxicity. Aim of the work Results Development of a prototype of an antimicrobial nanofiberous wound dressing based on honey and natural extracts with enhanced antibacterial activity against resistant bacterial strains as well as enhanced wound healing ability. Fabrication of nanofiber based wound dressings Figure 1a,1b: SEM images of PVA/chitosan/honey nanofibers loaded with the two plant extracts via biocompatible solvents. A Figure 2& 3: Antibacterial activity of the PVA/Chitosan/Honey nanofibers loaded with the natural extracts 1, 2 and 1&2 against 108 CFU of S.aureus and Methicillin resistant S.aureus after 24 h via the viable cell count technique. NE-1: Natural extract 1 NE-2: Natural extract 2 Enhanced Antibacterial Activity against MRSA & S.aureus compared to the commercial AquaCell silver Introduction Electrospun nanofibers have emerged as a promising candidate for wound dressing applications. High honey concentration, chitosan nanofibers represent an attractive candidate for advanced wound dressing due to their wound healing and antibacterial abilities. Recently, we have electrospun (PVA), chitosan and high honey concentration (40%) nanofibers using biocompatible solvents. Such nanofibers exhibited mild antibacterial activity against S.aureus and E.coli. Through the present work two natural extracts were loaded within the PVA, chitosan, honey nanofibers to enhance their antibacterial activity and further extend it against resistant bacterial strains. Moreover, the loaded nanofibers were tested for their wound healing abilities on animal models.. 2 3 Enhanced wound healing ability of PVA/chitosan/honey wound dressing loaded with the natural extracts. Figure 4: Effect of different PVA/Chitosan/Honey wound dressings loaded with NE-1, NE-2 and NE1 &NE2 on the decrease in wound area of a 5mm full excisional wound done on the dorsal back of mice. Measurements were performed at fixed time intervals over a time period of 21 days. The data are presented as mean±S.D. (N= 3). Complete & enhanced wound healing at 15 days via two kinds of natural extract loaded nanofiber dressings compared to 18 days of the control NE-1: Natural Extract 1 NE-2: Natural Extract 2 Research protocol Characterization -SEM -FT-IR -DSC -XRD 5 8 11 15 18 NE-2 NE-1+NE2 Future work -Optimization of the developed nanofibrous wound dressing for the treatment of diabetic foot infections. -Antibacterial testing -Wound healing test on a 5mm excisional wound. -Cell culture testing for biocompatibility. Swelling ability Publications and Awards -Sarhan WA & Azazzy HME., (2015). High concentration honey chitosan electrospun nanofibers:Biocompatibility and antibacterial effects. Carbohydrate polymer,135-143. -Winner (3rd place) of the MIT Arab Startup competition, ideas track,2015. -Showcase booth in TechConnect world innovation summit & expo. Washington DC., 2015. PVA