Electrospun Scaffold of Collagen and Polycaprolactone Containing ZnO Quantum Dots for Skin Wound Regeneration

Nanofibers (NFs) have been widely used in tissue engineering such as wound healing. In this work, the antibacterial ZnO quantum dots (ZnO QDs) have been incorporated into the biocompatible poly (ε-caprolactone)/collagen (PCL/Col) fibrous scaffolds for wound healing. The as-fabricated PCL-Col/ZnO fibrous scaffolds exhibited good swelling, antibacterial activity, and biodegradation behaviors, which were beneficial for the applications as a wound dressing. Moreover, the PCL-Col/ZnO fibrous scaffolds showed excellent cytocompatibility for promoting cell proliferation. The resultant PCL-Col/ZnO fibrous scaffolds containing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) also exhibited promoted wound-healing effect through promoting expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and the vascular factor (CD31) in tissues in the early stages of wound healing. This new electrospun fibrous scaffolds with wound-healing promotion and antibacterial property should be convenient for treating wound healing. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42235-021-00115-7.