Accessible approach of fabricating pH‐responsive nanofibrous membranes with photothermal effect as antibacterial wound dressings

Abstract

The synergistic antibacterial effect of photothermal and drug treatments is a promising therapeutic method for treating the persistent bacterial infection of chronic wounds. In this study, we used electrospinning to fabricate functionalized poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) nanofiber membranes as antibacterial wound dressings after incorporating tannic acid (TA) and ferric ion (Fe³⁺). The abilities of pH‐responsive controlled release TA and the photothermal effect of the membrane were obtained by introducing the TA/Fe³⁺ complexes. Additionally, the membrane had a defined nanofibrous network structure, excellent mechanical properties, hydrophilicity, and water uptake ability. While the controlled release of TA endowed the membrane with high antibacterial properties at different pH values, the antibacterial ratio was further enhanced by approximately 10% under the photothermal synergistic effect. These results indicate that the PCL/TA/Fe³⁺ nanofiber membranes could be regarded as an ideal candidate for treating bacterial infection of chronic wounds.