Luminescent Electro-Spun Nanofibers Crosslinked with Boronic Esters Exhibiting Controlled Release of Carbon Dots for Detection of Wound pHs and Enhanced Antimicrobial.

ABSTRACT: Timely and accurate assessment of wounds during the healing process is crucial for proper diagnosis and treatment. Conventional wound dressings lack both real-time monitoring capabilities and active therapeutic functionalities, limiting their effectiveness in dynamic wound environments. Herein, we report our proof-of-concept approach exploring the unique emission properties and antimicrobial activities of carbon nanodots (CNDs) for simultaneous detection and treatment of bacteria. This approach centers on the fabrication of well-defined CND-embedded poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) e-spun nanofibrous mats, which are crosslinked with degradable boronic ester (BE) crosslinks. The BE-CND/PVA mats exhibit stimuli-responsive degradation to pHs and hydrogen peroxide as well as pH-responsive release of CNDs. Promisingly, the mats turn out to be hemocompatible with blood and biocompatible with skin cells. Furthermore, they exhibit notable antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria and demonstrate great potential for real-time monitoring of wound pH to assess the wound status. These results suggest that BE-CND/PVA mats could significantly enhance wound healing by providing localized therapeutic action, reducing the risk of bacterial infections, and enabling non-invasive monitoring of wound progress.

SUBMITTER: Lokuge ND 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12704236 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature