Health-care associated infections (HAIs) are gaining attention due to the increase in drug-resistant bacteria. Approximately 5% of hospitalized patients will contract an HAI; making advances in medical sanitation a top public health priority. Thus, the development of novel surface coatings that release broad-spectrum biocidal agents is imperative. A promising solution is cinnamaldehyde (CA), a non-toxic essential oil component, which historically has been used to fight bacterial infections. The utilization of O/W emulsion electrospinning was employed to construct core/shell nanofiber mats. Each nanofiber fabricated consists of a chitosan/polyethylene oxide shell wrapped around a CA core. Electrospinning process parameters were optimized to ensure that continuous, cylindrical fibers were synthesized. Scanning electron and fluorescence microscopy of the overall fiber morphology, as well as the core/shell structure, respectively, confirm that CA was successfully encapsulated. Advantages of the core/shell structure include the prevention of an initial burst release and protection of the essential oils from oxidation.

Emulsion electrospinning of novel core/shell nanofiber mats for the controlled release of bactericidal cinnamaldehyde

244th National Meeting (2012)

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