Low cytotoxicity, antibacterial property, and curcumin delivery performance of toughness-enhanced electrospun composite membranes based on poly(lactic acid) and MAX phase (Ti3AlC2)

Tharnthip Krasian , Winita Punyodom, Robert Molloy, Paul Topham, Brian Tighe, Anisa Mahomed, Tanpong Chaiwarit , Pattaraporn Panraksa , Pornchai Rachtanapun , Kittisak Jantanasakulwong , Patnarin Worajittiphon*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

MXenes, synthesized from their precursor MAX phases, have been extensively researched as additives to enhance the drug delivery performance of polymer matrices, whereas there is a limited number of previous reports on the use of MAX phases themselves for such applications. The use of MAX phases can exclude the complicated synthesis procedure and lessen resultant production and environmental costs required to convert MAX phases to MXenes. Herein, electrospun membranes of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and a MAX phase (Ti3AlC2) have been fabricated for curcumin delivery. The composite membrane exhibits significantly higher toughness (8.82 MJ m-3) than the plasticized PLA membrane (0.63 MJ m-3) with low cytotoxicity, supporting proliferation of mouse fibroblast L929 cells. The curcumin-loaded composite membrane exhibits high water vapor transmission (~7350 g m-2 day-1), porosity (~85 %), water wettability, and antibacterial properties against E. coli and S. aureus. Seven-day curcumin release is enhanced from 45 % (PLA) to 67 % (composite) due to curcumin diffusion from the polymer fibers and MAX phase surface that contributes to overall increased curcumin adsorption and release sites. This work demonstrates the potential of the MAX phase to enhance both properties and curcumin delivery, promising for other eco-friendly systems for sustainable drug delivery applications.
Original languageEnglish
Article number129967
JournalInternational Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Volume262
Early online date3 Feb 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2024

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2023, Elsevier. This accepted manuscript version is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Keywords

  • Poly(lactic acid)
  • MAX phase
  • Electrospun membrane
  • Drug delivery
  • Curcumin
  • Low cytotoxicity

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