DEVELOPMENT AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE WOUND HEALING ELECTROSPUN POLYURETHANE/COLLAGEN/PHYTOCERAMIDES NANOFIBERS USING THE BOX-BEHNKEN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN) QUALITY BY DESIGN)

Abstract

A nanofiber combination of polyurethane, collagen, and phytoceramides for tissue engineering purposes was developed. An experimental design was employed to optimize the experimental conditions used in the preparation process of polyurethane/collagen/phytoceramides nanofibers; an effective drug delivery approach for the treatment of wound healing using electrospun technique. DOE introduces data-based evidence leading to comprehension processes from the least number of experiments. A three-level-three-factor Box-Behnken design was established in order to optimize the electrospinning instrument performance and, consequently, the nanofiber effectiveness. The study addressed the response parameters (diameter, zeta potential, and diffusion coefficient) and the experimental key factors affecting the performance were the applied voltage, flow injection rate, and rotary collector speed of the electrospinning instrument. The study builds prediction models for each response and employs a desirability function to suggest an optimum working level of each factor that guarantees the best minimum diameter, maximum zeta potential, and maximum diffusion coefficient. The desirability function suggested experimental conditions to be 12.9 KV for the applied voltage, 1.3 ml/hr for the injection flow rate, and a speed of 920 rpm for rotary collector speed. The optimized preparation proved satisfactory physicochemical properties regarding the FTIR spectrum and wettability characters of the nanofiber. The biomedical effectiveness of the optimized nanofibers including cell viability, anti-oxidant activity, anti-inflammatory potency, and wound healing was examined and showed improved results. Also, a stability study was performed on the optimized nanofibers to ensure the validity of the optimization process.